


Wanderlust

by LuciferIsSatan



Series: Starting Over [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Courting Rituals, Dragon attacks, Explicit Sexual Content, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Revyn as a companion, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:01:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 64,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23555734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciferIsSatan/pseuds/LuciferIsSatan
Summary: The longer Revyn Sadri stayed in Windhelm, the more he felt as if his life was wasting away. It certainly didn't help, of course, that dragons have ravaged the streets.He couldn't stay here anymore, and he supposes the logical next step forward is becoming an adventurer himself; or, rather, tag alongside his adventuring companion and hope he made the right choice.
Relationships: Male Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Revyn Sadri
Series: Starting Over [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711696
Comments: 33
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So this is an alternative storyline for my one-shot, [Cornerstone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5563396). This fic is by no means required, but it is an intro into my Dragonborn and these two meeting, so I like to suggest it.
> 
> EDIT: All images are full to screen - Its best for mobile reading, but wildly big for desktop reading, so I apologize to desktop readers. Would be best to keep screens turned away from folks anyhow.
> 
> I made a separate "what if?" for that fic, [Burned Wicks and Candlesticks](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20799950/chapters/49436405), (Which as of 4/22/20 the final chapter was posted!) but I LOVE falling in love stories and first times so I'm doing it again but different. I wanted a less sad/frustrating twist on it so I'm making this instead. And??? I really love this pair and I really love Revyn and wanted to do his character a bit more justice. This fic will not be particularly long, but I hope you enjoy!

Revyn duly noted, as he watched the clouds drift by, a few things that love could make him do;

Moving across all of Skyrim, to start. Spending weeks on the road in a semi-shaky cart surrounded by all his boxed up valuables, while Galvorn fretfully checked on him every moment he could spare rather than pay attention to the road ahead. Lydia, a dear friend of Galvorn's, and a very friendly acquaintance to Revyn in her own right, eventually took charge of reigns to finally let the wood elf join him in the back.

Love could make him start over. Fingers' drumming over the boxes he was resting beside, feeling strange, but the anxiousness he originally felt was so muted against the backdrop of Galvorn's loud and easy laughter, keeping his fears at bay.

Love made him eat up all the silly poetry he'd find slipped under the door of his shoppe. Made him close early for dinner dates, and night in's, and small trips to nearby towns he never had the chance to enjoy before. Love made him ignore his sense when Galvorn started toting around that silly little Amulet of Mara, wagging his brows despite Revyn _insisting_ he isn't so easy a catch.

Love ensuring he was caught anyways.

Love was the nerves that reverberated in his limbs that threatened his ability to sleep, during the long weeks and sometimes months that Galvorn use to simply vanish. During a dark time where the war was still raging and the Stormcloaks were making headway; dragons were destroying villages and the return of the World-Eater. The world was ending around them, and he hadn't seen his.. his someone- in nearly half a year. No word sent, no news, just whispers and rumours of the dangers of the world from ragged and shaken adventurers.

He wasn't calling it love, then.

It was mostly a lot of put-off feelings and uncertainty. He didn't know a good warm feeling could turn cold and listless, anxious, paranoid. How it numbed his fingertips and made him see flashes of blond hair and pointed ears; eyes trying to race to find the spattering of freckles like constellation on flushed sharp cheeks that he can no longer remember the placements of.

Then, as if no time had truly passed at all, Galvorn would return.

Bruised up and battered, in different armour than what he left with. There are new scars along his cheek, dried blood on his gauntlets, with his arrow quiver near empty.

They didn't kiss, because they never touched like that back then. Not when Revyn knew better than to get too close to customers, even when Galvorn could read through his merchant facade like a children's book. Revyn could never keep the worry off his face. Galvorn never limped, never grimaced in front of him. He had a sack full of interesting goodies to sell and a bottle of Elswyr red wine he found Revyn was rather fond of, and it was almost as if the world around them wasn't in the process of ending, and as though he hadn't been missing for weeks.

Galvorn was always like this, and Revyn got so caught up in his relief of seeing him he never wanted to question it. Almost is if bringing his worries to light would bring unwanted attention to it, and he didn't desire the day he would realize Galvorn would never come back.

So they danced around whatever it was that was happening between them, Revyn never wanting to acknowledge the eventual way Galvorn edged his way further and further into his every day; they were slow and took their time, but it was comfortable. Easy to ignore the civil war, humming along to the songs sung by the soldiers marching outside their shared window, quietly tracing the shadows the fire in his pit created as they waited out the cries of the dragons that echoed through the nearby mountains, until, of course, the frostbitten morning would greet them. Galvorn would stretch from whatever piece of furniture he fell asleep on, all bleary-eyed and insisting he'd much rather be there than blocks away at the Candlehearth so he can at least "have something lovely to wake up to" before gathering his things with a promise of return. Always just a promise. The door would then close and Revyn, barely awake, would be alone again.

It was a reminder of the temporary.

It was always the first few hours after he left where Revyn felt foolish and angry with himself for letting it happen again. Not insisting that Galvorn walk someplace for rest after a long night of drinking and storytelling, but never understanding why Galvorn happily took the chair and refused a real bed for the short time he was in town. Why he would even want to spend the night in a shoddy little room in the back of a rickety drafty store? Revyn was always flattered by the insistence of Galvorn desiring his favor, but to what end?

It was a few hours past the initial leave that Revyn recalled, with weary eyes towards his frosted bedroom windows, kettle on the fire, _that_ end.

Dread filled his chest with each passing day, rumours of mass dead along the countryside. Adventurer's stopping in for gossip that kept him updated on the big scary world just beyond the city walls. Whispers of the Dragonborn traveling through the holds in Skryim, assisting the people, clearing out dungeons, working alongside the greybeards, fighting off dragons and absorbing their souls. A great fighter, unmatched archer, creating and destroying with nothing but his voice. Dread, fortunately, turned to hope when Revyn realized that the war with the dragons forced the civil war to be put on hold.

But Galvorn never came back.

He counted and recounted his wears, reorganized, restocked, open shop, smile, count his coin, close. Don't think about it. He knew better than to think.

It almost seemed like Skyrim couldn't have been more down and out than it already was. An explosion happened at the Winterhold College. Another city plagued by nightmares. Bounties are being posted for bandits along the main road, but most won't take them, in fear that if their swords won't kill them, then surely the Dragons will.

Though, he supposed, it seemed like every adventurer that came waltzing through his store now-a-days had stories among stories to say of the mighty Dragonborn; how they watched him fly the final arrow into the skull of the flying beasts, how his very voice could cut a path through water, or even how his prowess in battle was next to none. An unknown hero wearing the mask of a slain Dragon Priest, consorting with gods and deadra alike. Tales of strength, endurance, and kindness, and how Skyrim had a hope to count on in such a trying time. It was.. refreshing. Though it didn't warm him or lift the unease that's made a home in his chest, because even with such an unmatched hero among their ranks, it does not change the every day of the small folk. The war would continue once it is all said and done, and people will continue to die. To Revyn, it almost seemed crueler to perish at the hands of other persons instead of the claws of the beasts.

Then, one day, it seemed like the sky itself parted.

Revyn recalled that day very clearly; waking up to the eruption of terrible shouts, forcing him outside his storefront. For a few terrifying moments he thought he was back on Morrowind, the sky and chaos that surrounded him brought him back to a place where smog and ash filled his lungs. Blinking those thoughts away, his eyes distant and frightened as his neighbors rushed out into the streets; everyone seemed to be piling out of the city. City guards were all shouting, the sky was red, dark unnatural clouds whirling and taking shape as the universe seemed to tear - why did the sky look like that? He ran forward to see the top of the far mountain, the Throat of the World, and above it-

Hundreds of Dragons were circling.

Revyn felt his breath catch, the cloud before his mouth almost shattered from its cold tesselation when several beasts began to break away from their formation in the sky. Like a hurricane, the eyes of the storm started to break and disperse, their cries once far away came violently closer. That's when the screaming began.

Revyn had been frozen, unable to move, unable to think, to _breathe-!_

A hand snapped down on his arm, tugging him backward with a start. Revyn tripped over his own feet, his eyes snapping over to see the panicked expression of Ambarys. " _Don't just stand there, Sadri!_ " where his grip was a vice and Revyn was too dumbstruck to do anything else. His feet somehow finding their footing as they sped down the narrow alleys, slipping through the hysteria. Through the chaos Ambarys never let go, even as their legs began to burn with exertion and their lungs stung, filled with too cold air and not enough of it. Stormcloaks stormed pass in uneven lines, ordered shouts were drowned out by the bellows of the terrible beasts barreling in the sky. Revyn was too terrified to look when he felt the thud of the ground like an earthquake, and the violent flash of heat like molten liquid pouring from their voice not too far behind.

Ambarys led the charge, and it wasn't long until they reached the familiar steps of the Cornerclub, where Ambarys quickly shoved the two of them inside. Malthyr Elenil was already inside, a few other dunmers of the city hunkering down on the first level when Ambarys finally slammed the door. It was the only time he let Revyn go, as he quickly locked the door behind him, yelling over his shoulder to get a barricade going. Malthyr was quick on his feet, grabbing the first table he saw and pushed it onto its side, he was quickly joined by some of the others hiding, and soon the door was stacked with chairs and tables and a child's flower basket by the end of it. Revyn noted small Sofie was in the arms of Luaffyn, the bard over from Candlehearth, who was speaking to the child in a soft voice, smoothing her messy hair down and wiping away her nervous tears.

Revyn was shaking. Staring at his hands that would not hold still, blinking away tears of his own, swallowing thickly and nervously before Ambarys called to him. Revyn looked up, taking in the pile of huddled bodies where Ambarys was gesturing for him to join. It was then he saw Idesa, and his heart nearly gave way. Revyn rushed forward, and she finally looked up and saw him with a cry of her own.

" _You're okay!_ " She shoved passed Ambarys and darted forward, slamming against her older brother with a shout. Revyn wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face against her neck a moment before pulling back, hands tight against her arms. He assessed her quickly, but her hair wasn't even out of place, tightly braided back as always and her dark cheeks flushed, fingers cold against his sides where she was holding him.

"I was so _worried_ about you! You weren't in your shop, and the door was ajar and I saw the dragons-" her bright red eyes seemed to be taking note of every stray hair and worry-line across his face as well.

Revyn shook his head, "I'm okay, I just- I followed the crowd a bit further into the city to see what was happening." Idesa ran her hands down to his arms, holding his hands in hers where she exhaled shakily. Her brows furrowed as she squeezed his shaking hands, looking up at him with sad, worried eyes.

"Revyn why didn't we ever keep moving," she was saying, her voice going quiet, shaking her head. "Do you know how many holds I have traveled?" Revyn sighed but Idesa squared her shoulders, frowning. "To _all of them_. You could.. you could start shop elsewhere! Business would be better in Whiterun! If it's the cold here you like, then Winterhold is slowly growing back to its former glory after the incident with the college cleaned up, and there are plenty of empty space you could take up-"

"I don't think this is the time-" There was another roar, unmistakable, loud, not too far away. Idesa pulled Revyn back, backstepping towards the group once again as they found their bearings huddled together as a group. Ambarys hunkered down beside them, as they each settled into spots where they were sure they'd never leave. Crying was muffled against the clanging of metal against unpierceable armour, there was so much screaming.

They were hunkered there for hours. Ambarys occasionally getting up to grab some food that was barely touched. Idesa kept herself firmly planted against Revyns' side, clinging to him in a way that starkly reminded him of the boat ride leaving Morrowind after the eruption. The vibrations against the earth, to the rocking of the ship; she had been so much smaller back then. A tween wearing their mother's oversized hand-me-downs, with no mother in sight. She slept most of the way across the sea, eyes red-rimmed from crying and her body too exhausted to do much else. She was awake, at least now, but her head fell at the same spot against his side, and he held her close, counting away the hours, memorizing the braids in her hair in fear he'd never get another chance.

Hours passed, and the world outside seemed almost quiet. Though they did not know if that meant the soldiers survived or if there were simply none left. So they all sat there, quietly breathing, trying to wait out what felt like the end of the world. Some of what the dunmer sitting here had experienced more than once.

Until, they heard knocking.

Next door.

Idesa sat up, looking towards the pile of tables and chairs blocking the door when her ears perked. Revyn sat forward too, someone was calling his name.

Idesa almost began laughing, the giggles falling from her lips were near incredulous when she looked towards her brother; "The world is ending and someone's shopping?"

He looked to his sister with a lopsided smile, almost answering when the door handle to the Cornerclub was being pulled harshly, followed by loud desperate knocks and- " _Is anyone alive in there? Ambarys? Is anybody in there? Please somebody- Is Revyn in there? Is he safe-?_ "

Revyn felt heat building at the base of his ears, and he- wait. Wait he knows that voice.

" _Galvorn?_ " Revyn stumbled to his feet, his sister giving him a strange look he pointedly ignored as he darted over to the door. "Galvorn! Hold on, we're barricaded- w-what are you _doing_ out there?" Revyn was grabbing chairs and pushing furniture aside before Idesa darted over to assist, Ambarys muttering about ' _not knowing if it was even_ safe _yet_ ' while carefully grabbing his key and unlocking the door, gesturing for the two to step back as he peeked outside.

"Oh well it's you innit? Are the dragons gone, then?" Ambarys blocked the doorway to the wood elf standing impatiently on the other side.

"What? Yes of course. They're gone, for now anyways. I heard Revyn, is he okay? Are you alright?"

"Oh I'm fine, thanks for askin', but Sadri ain't selling right now you're just gonna have to wait until the mess is all cleaned up."

"Selling? No, I- he- He's my friend, will you _please_ -"

"Ambarys let him in." Revyn was at the other's shoulders, trying to peek over but Ambarys sniffed at him.

"I ain't much care for Stormcloaks and it's _weird_ this one got pointy ears."

" _No!_ No. I'm not a Stormcloak anymore! I learned my lesson, and I was misguided with my distaste for the Thalmor, and I'm _sorry_ I walked into your shop dressed like that. I've had enough of everyone mad at me for prematurely picking sides and I've had to give the whole war up. Its the Jarls problem and they're all morons, please let me see my friend."

"Oh you can just suddenly stop being a soldier?"

"Fairly easy when there are dragons!" Galvorn tried looking past the dunmers' shoulders as well, "Ulfric seemed to understand there are more important fights and let me go. Though said I wasn't allowed to buy property because of it here, which is fine considering my options are nowhere or the murder house."

"You know they _have_ that place cleaned up!" Revyn called over the club owners shoulder, "Though you'd be living awful close to Viola and I don't believe you'd betray me like that."

"And risk your disappointment in me? I'd prefer to keep sleeping on uncomfortable chairs."

"My chairs are nice and I've told you the Candlehearth Hall isn't far and offer good rooms."

"Certainly, but they don't have you."

"Oh, he's your _friend_ , aye?" Ambarys raised his brows in Revyns' direction, where Revyn narrowed his in return. Ambarys eyed him a long moment before shaking his head, "I know it ain't my place but you've been.. traditional, about this, right?"

Revyns' back became ramrod straight, scrunching his nose that followed a startled scowl. "Don't be ridiculous, of course I have. Mind your tongue."

"I'm just saying, just because we're in Nord country doesn't mean we start acting like them."

"Ambarys mind your own business," Idesa snapped, grabbing his wrist and pulling him from the door, "Nobody is more traditional than Revyn and it's out of turn for you to go accusing anybody over some harmless flirting."

Galvorn took the opportunity when he saw it to slip inside the club, momentarily eyeing the pile of furniture as he closed the door behind him. His eyes were quick to find Revyn, assessing, searching, before smiling. "Oh, so he _is_ flirting? I was starting to think I was getting on his nerves."

Revyn almost wanted to answer, but there were dark splatterings of liquid staining his armour. There were.. so many dents. Scratches, cuts, blood caked over patches of ash and mud, scorch marks littering his jagged dark leathered chest plate, and tears all along his cloak. He'd never seen this particular armour before, but it was already terribly damaged, and there was unmistakable hurt just before his neck met collar, hiding more from sight. Revyn stepped forward, watching the slow trickle of blood ooze from the others pointed nose, freckles all hidden under a layer of ash and filth, blonde hair dirty and all over the place, his left eye nearly closed shut entirely.

"By the divines, look at you." Galvorn sniffed, running a hand under his nose as if to wipe away the blood pooling there, but only managed to smudge it further.

"I'm okay," Galvorn even manages to chuckle, "It looks a lot worse than it is, I'll be fine. Are you okay?"

"Am _I_ okay? Galvorn you look half dead, and I was hiding. None of us are hurt. Do you need healing? Where.. where's your housecarl? Lydia?"

Galvorns' shoulders seemed to relax at that, yanking his gauntlets off and throwing them in his pack. He reached forward to cup Revyns cheeks with rough callused hands. Revyn didn't know what to do, but eventually reached his own hands up, grabbing Galvorns' wrists in response. "Lydia is alright, shes working on clean up over by the palace. I'd be with her but she sent me to go find you, it's-" Galvorn stopped, looking suddenly very aware of the numerous eyes that are on them. "-can we, talk privately, for a moment?"

Revyn looked at him, confused, but felt Idesa press her palm against the middle of his back to push him forward, and it was a swift exit. Revyn felt the instant chill of being outdoors again, though his eyes quickly took to the skies, almost expecting to see the hurricane of wings once again, but the sky was clear save for a few grey clouds. Galvorn seemed to notice his hesitation and smiled at him.

"It's okay, they're all gone. What's left are miles away and will be dealt with another day. You're safe, I promise."

Revyn paused, before nodding faintly. Galvorn gave the sky one last once over before slipping over to Revyns' shop, who automatically took to unlocking the building, noting vaguely that Idesa must have locked up after him when she realized he wasn't home. They pushed inside.

It was familiar, this was familiar. Revyn locked the door behind them to prevent any busybodies from stepping inside, glancing briefly over to Galvorn. His hands took on a soft golden glow, focusing a long moment before he was enveloped in a warm healing light which, slowly but surely, carefully closed the worst of his wounds up. It cut off before everything was fixed, letting out a strained huff, but he, fortunately, didn't look so close to death as before.

"You needed to speak privately?" Revyn started walking over to his living chamber, gesturing for Galvorn to follow. They didn't get very far.

Galvorn snagged Revyn's wrist, spinning him back around, practically slamming Revyn against the edge of the countertop in his haste. The dunmer lost his footing, but Galvorn _scooped_ Revyn up and forward, pressing his narrow hips against the counter where Galvorn wasted no time in yanking him down into a firm, desperate kiss.

Revyn jolted, but Galvorn was far stronger than he looked, keeping him in place. His mouth was..- so warm. His lips were a little wind burned and chapped but they gave and pressed along to the corner of his mouth, pulled back so faintly it was hard to tell, before he pressed a series along his cheek, trailing to his jaw and up to his cheekbone. Galvorn had Revyn's face cupped, his mouth dipping down once again where Revyn instinctively met him in the middle.

Deft fingers twisting between the middle seam of the wood elf's armour, feeling pooling in his belly, in his face, his neck, the tip of his ears absolutely burning; that was to speak nothing of how fast his heart was pounding as he was sure everyone within a several mile radius could hear it. All of his fear and his nerves were funneled through his throat and Galvorn was the happy recipient, taking every worry he received and turning them into weak groans, the press of his tongue asking for permission where Revyn gave it gladly.

He had never.. done this before.

There was heat between his thighs and an ache settled in his stomach that he didn't know what to do with. That he couldn't. There was so much of him reminding him to pull away, to calm down, to save himself, to wait. Even when those rough hands slipped from his face to grip his hip, even when his thumb seemed to dip against his thigh, squeezing and searching and needy before Revyn met that hand with his own. _Stop, stop, stop_.

Revyn pulled from the kiss, reluctant, but Galvorn got the message and didn't push further. He wanted to speak but his chest felt like it lacked air and he couldn't think straight when he ached so much. His head briefly dropped to the other's shoulder, his face burning with a mixture of need and embarrassment, but collected himself after a moment to pull back completely.

"You-" Revyn cleared his throat, shakily smoothing down his mussed-up outfit, "Y-you said you wanted to speak privately, and while this is nice, it's not speaking."

Galvorns eyes were momentarily searching, his freckled cheeks were equally flushed at least, but he seemed less concerned with his prior desperation. Galvorn smiled a bit lopsided, his hand reaching to push away a few loose strands of Revyns coarse hair, before pulling back entirely.

"I'm sorry for being so forward," Galvorn shifted a moment as if to gather his thoughts. "These past several weeks have been.. some of the absolute worst I've ever lived through, and the relief I felt seeing you safe and unharmed broke something in me. I'm sorry if I.. made you at all uncomfortable. I should have asked before doing something like that."

"I didn't, ah- er," Revyn sniffed, "It was fine. That was, that was fine. I just uhm, wasn't expecting to be ravished on my merchant table."

"Ah, you'd prefer a bed then?"

"I'd prefer a ring first, actually." Revyn tilted his head at the wood elf, his smile cocked. "I'm not about to be another tally for you to mark off and move on."

Galvorn shook his head, "Revyn you mean a lot more to me than that, please don't doubt that. If you want a ring, I could give you a ring, and a lovely house, in a nice city someplace far away from here. You could open up shop there, new clientele, kinder, smarter, safer."

"Not this again, you sound like my sister."

"Your sister sounds like a smart lass," Galvorn chuckled, "but I'm.. I am being serious. I still have the Amulet of Mara I was told I'm supposed to wear when proposing unless you still think I was joking all those times."

" _Galvorn_."

"No! I mean it!" Galvorn grabbed his pack, pulling up onto the counter and sifting through some of its contents, it took him a moment but he was able to produce the amulet, still well polished and taken care of, dangling from his hands. "I won't wear it unless I'm around you, Talos forbid someone else offers."

"Is _this_ really what you needed to talk about privately?"

"No, no." Galvorn was staring at the Amulet a little longer, thumb brushing over the flat surface of its front before pulling it on, tucking it under his collar. "Lets.. let's sit down. Mind if I leave my things here?"

Revyn gave an off-handed gesture, retreating towards his living chamber to check on the fire in his cooking spit. There was still a flame going, fortunately, but it was a small thing he needed to put a little work into. Galvorn followed in behind him, taking his usual chair, though sat quietly as Revyn worked and got the heat going again. Off to the side was his kettle, he spent the next few minutes cleaning it up before filling it with water, setting the kettle above the cooking flame. He hardly noticed the quiet until he settled in the opposite seat, Galvorn tracing an indent in the tabletop.

"Now what's going on, Gal? You've been awful reluctant to talk."

Galvorn exhaled heavily through his nose, running a hand to brush through some of the mess of his long hair before looking towards the dark elf.

"Its been.. the worst several weeks of my life, Revyn." He shifted in his seat, his mouth grim and sharp for once and the dunmer shifted in his seat to face him better. "I have been.. fighting the dragons for most of it. I'm sure you heard all about the World Eater."

"Who hasn't?" His voice came out much smaller than he intended it to, but he had a dreadful feeling of the dark direction this conversation was going.

"Alduin was the.. the dragon in Helgen," Galvorn sniffed, "I feel a - a connection, if that makes any sense, to the beast. Something I cannot easily throw to the side."

"It sounds like you're way in over your head," Revyn retorted, though not unkindly. "You don't have to.. to prove yourself to anybody, Gal. You don't have to be a hero with whatever it is you're trying to do here, Alduin can and _will_ kill you. Skyrim isn't short of heroes, and that doesn't have to be you."

"What hero's?" Galvorn's voice took a hardness to it. Stories he wasn't saying were floating in his throat, but Revyn hardly noticed it.

"Well- you're an adventurer, yes? There's the Dragonborn, whos' returned. Isn't this his fight too? I've heard countless stories of his legendary prowess in battle and- and how his voice can cut through steel. He's taken down _countless_ dragons! If there is anyone in Tamriel who could handle this, it would be him. You don't carry this burden alone, and-" Revyn voice caught in his throat when he eventually saw the way Galvorn was staring at him.

His eyes were wide and very confused, but there was a smile twitching at the edge of his lips.

"Revyn, do you know _who_ the Dragonborn is?"

Revyn suddenly felt uncomfortable, shifting in his seat almost defensively. "Er- no.. Am I supposed to?"

Galvorn looked at him with pure delight, the first time since his return where he seemed genuinely pleased. "Oh goodness no, he's a complete moron. He fumbles through battle and narrowly survives every encounter he gets into. Hardly worth knowing, I assure you."

Revyn blinked, "Really? That's the first I've heard something bad about him. Every adventurer I've met who worked with him all had nothing but praises."

"Well he doesn't tend to keep good company for long." Galvorn snorted, "I- er, I have been.. let's say working, alongside him for a time. Dragonborn is most the reason I had to give up the war," Galvorn paused a moment, looking Revyn over, "not the full reason but part of it." Gal shifted back, clearing his throat, "He uh, - he's the reason I've been gone for a.. good long while. I would say he's as reluctant as I am to handle the trouble of Alduin, but it's not something he can face entirely on his own."

"He sounds-" Revyn looked over Galvorns shoulder towards the kettle, not yet boiling, "awfully mortal."

"It's why I don't much love stories from the view of outsiders. I respect bards as much as the next, but they have it all wrong. One person can tear through the sky with his voice and suddenly he's a god to them. It's just.. not like that at all." Galvorn frowned then, tracing age-old scratched along the table's surface. "He's in love, you know. Talks about his.. his heart, often. Over the fire at night when we made camp and our bodies ache. Lydia listens better than anyone I know, because goodness it's all he seems to think about. During the day it's all tactic, all war, all survival, but at night? It's about home. About what feels like home. The type of life he wished he had. You'd think being a Dragonborn would be such a gift, but.. it's a curse. I've never met someone more miserable in my life."

"And you've been traveling with him?"

Galvorn nodded, "I was there when he realized he could absorb the soul of dragons. I've been with him since the start."

"You never told me," Revyn frowned a bit, but mostly out of confusion, "That seems like an awfully important detail to leave out."

"He's- he's private." Galvorn said after a moment, "he likes to keep business and home separate, and I don't much blame him. If more people knew his name, knew who he was, I imagine his.. his loved ones would be in a great deal of danger." Galvorns' eyes got a little distant then, before sighing. "It's.. part of the reason why I'm here."

Galvorn sat forward then, his face scrunching a moment in distaste. "Alduin has escaped to Sovngarde. I- er, we all fought him at the Throat of the World, but he rallied his forces and distracted us long enough to get away. Paarthurnax a- a friend, warned us that Alduin was sending forces to destroy the holds. Alduin believed that we would divert our efforts to destroy him to save our loved ones, and- he was right. The Dragonborn took off on his horse, and I on mine and I came directly here."

Revyn.. blinked. Taking in what was said slower than ever, eyes searching. "What?"

Galvorn looked firm, "I had to know."

"You..- you are too much for me Galvorn," Revyn felt a half-choked laugh form in his throat, "I'm just a merchant. We aren't even necessarily together."

"I watched several chroma dragons swoop down to the north and you were all I could think about." Galvorn chewed on the inside of his cheek, "Your little shop was like a sanctuary that I feared would be desecrated, touched by the harshness of the outer world. I heard their cries and saw their voice bring destruction to the clouds, cutting through the air, and I know first hand what their claws feel of. I thought of you, and your laughter, and how terrified I felt if this place ever went silent. I never rode so fast in my life. My poor horse is half-collapsed outside, but we came to the front gates under siege, bodies already littering the front gate where the initial attack first started. We cut our way to the front gate, but by Akatosh there were dozens of them. We were able to take out a good handful at great cost, but the remaining seemed to flee. I can't imagine how the other holds are fairing."

Revyn shifted uncomfortably, his thoughts drifting to his own streets drenched in blood, covered in bodies and the remains of dragons rotting in the center of town. He felt, cold. So cold, and confused, and angry, and- and terrified.

"How are you even still alive?" he breathed uncomfortably. It was then he heard the soft whistle of his kettle begin, quickly pushing to his feet and thankful for a distraction. Galvorn seemed quiet as he quickly gathered himself and tried to prepare something warm to drink for them both. The chair creaked as the wood elf shifted.

"I don't know." he eventually said, while Revyn placed the mugs on the table, a heat stone sat at the edge where the kettle was placed, "I just..- I don't want to do this."

Revyn paused then, tea leaves in grip, though he continued as if the slip hadn't happened. "Then don't."

"And let the world just end?" Galvorn retorted, though he sounded far more tired than he did angry. "I can't leave it- I can't leave _him_ to do this alone."

"I don't know what you _want_ me to say." Revyn said a bit more forcefully than he intended, startling the wood elf. " _Yes._ Abandon the world. What did the world ever do for you but hurt you? Try to kill you for being at the wrong place at the very worst time? A dragon that essentially saved your life you have to turn around and destroy, and for what? Glory? Honour? You're above these trivial titles and we both know that. You self sacrifice for the greater good that has never been good for you."

"Just because the world has never been so kind to me, I should forsake it?" Galvorn was shaking his head, "I have to be good _because_ the world is cruel. There is goodness there, but if we pretend it doesn't exist merely because it is much quieter, then what in all of Tamriel are we here for?"

Revyn pressed his lips together in a tight line, but said nothing. Galvorn grabbed his wrist, though his grip was loose and undemanding, just requesting, softly urging, and eventually Revyn met his eyes.

"I know what you are saying, and by the Divines I know exactly the place you are coming from, because I have been there. It is so, so much easier said than done, to try and do good and be better when it feels like you are throwing that kindness like pebbles down a cliff and hoping it will one day form a mountain, but that does not mean we should never try." Revyn broke the eye contact for a moment, glancing over their still empty mugs, before Galvorn continued, "You, for instance, in spite of your attitude, you are a very good person, Revyn."

The dark elf snorted, but Galvorn insisted, "You won't sell stolen items, you try to be impossibly honest and careful, and despite how hard it must be for you to keep yourself in check living in such an intolerable place, you keep your chin up. You're eager to please, eager to prove your worth, eager and polite and painfully kind that even the Stormcloaks here will tell travelers to come here to unload their wares."

"That doesn't prove I am a good person, just an honest one." Revyn took his seat, "And one willing to put up with being spit on. I'd say that makes me a push-over."

"You wanted to return Violas Ring, knowing you could have had me make it vanish from the city to save at least your hide. But you wanted it returned so nobody else in the grey quarter had to worry about being shaken down by more guards. To keep the taxes at their rate for everyone, not just for you." Revyn sat there, looking. "You talk about the unfairness of the treatment here, injustice, and not even personal injustice. You care deeply for the people around you, you have empathy you like to hide behind a pessimistic mask to protect yourself from embarrassment or other hurts due to the expectations you want to beat out of the water, to prove that dunmer are not savages to your barbaric nord counterparts. You have grace, a-and kindness, and good nature for even the intolerable, and you are soft, and kind, and full of worry for those you do care about, and even when I made you lose your stock the first time I met you, even though you got _hurt_ you were still kind, even when you were obviously upset with me. You didn't attack, or threaten. You trusted, and you dealt with me and you even allowed me a second chance after I had been awfully strange to you."

"You were being rather strange." Revyn mumbled, "I've no clue what this has to do with anything."

"I'm trying to-" Galvorn chewed on his words, "I am talking to you about as much as I'm talking to myself. There has to be things in the world that don't deserve to perish, as much as I see bandits and thieves and mindless killers. There are also soft quiet homesteads and little towns, children playing in the streets, and then there is you. You with your little shop in a cold little city, and you smile so- so _warmly_ , and your eyes are so tired but there so many questions there you never seem to ask and I almost wish you would. If the world ends and I wasn't there, then I would be putting all that in danger. The rolling hills of the west, the dancing creeks along the outskirts of Whiterun, the thick green forests of the south turn to ash, and you. I'd like to-" Galvorn pressed his lips together, almost in thought, deliberate when he continues, "I'd like to actually court you, if possible and if you'd allow me. In whatever fashion you deem fit, and if I'm to learn your customs I'd be ever the more pleased for it, because doing it the Nord way feels cheap even if it's easier."

Revyn felt that heat from before return to his face nearly as forceful as before, his hand snapping over to the kettle automatically to try and do _something_ with them, carefully lifting and pouring the hot water into the mugs, steeping the leaves. "Er, uhm- Galvorn-"

Galvorn pushed from his seat gently, grabbing the kettle from Revyns hands and setting it back down, taking the other's palms in his own. "Revyn," the wood elf lowered his head a fraction, urging again, private. Revyn sniffed, trying to avoid his earnest eyes until he admonished himself for being a coward, eventually meeting Galvorns gaze head-on with a frown.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want you," Galvorn squeezed his hands, "and if I am making you uncomfortable with all of this then I will grab my things and leave you alone. I can take no for an answer, and I will respect your space. But, if you would have me, I'd like to prove to you my own worth, and I'd like to get to really know you. There is so much of you that's a mystery to me, and I want to learn."

"I'm a mystery to _you_?" Revyn almost wanted to laugh if he didn't feel so flustered, "You're the right-hand man of the Dragonborn, off to go stop the end of the world. You dungeon dive headfirst into the strangest mysteries of Tamriel, and a little shopkeep is what's got you confused?"

"Confused? No, certainly not. Intrigued? Absolutely."

"You're a fool."

"No doubt," Galvorn chuckled, "but this feels right. I've not felt more certain about anything in my life."

"By Almalexia, mother of mercy, _stop_. You're unreasonable and foolish and I'm.. starting to consider it, which is something far too dangerous to fool around with so flippantly." Revyn pulled away from the wood elf, taking his seat again and gesturing for Galvorn to do the same, "drink your tea, and we'll discuss this upon your return."

Galvorn was still wearing that goofy little smile, and did as he was told.

He was gone by morning.

  
  


Months passed as they always have. Or once had. It was quiet in the world around them. Business continued, Idesa visiting more often than not, asking after his strange earnest visitor, to which Revyn deflected like an expert. She would stay for more dinners with her prodding of eventually moving, insisting he do so soon before the roads grow unsafe once again. Her comments of how haunted he looked some days with no sun and no warmth was starting to truly get to him; he's grown better at avoiding his reflection these days. His food tasted of ash, and his chair remained empty, but the world continued like the dragons never came; like Galvorn had never existed.

He grew less and less willing to think about Galvorn's return, as it became more and more apparent that it just may never happen. He pushed their conversation to the back of his thoughts, feeling dread of what would have come of something like that, of something foolhardy and thoughtless, and he focused on his work and nothing else. Work because it's all he has, it's what's familiar, it's-

It's killing him.

He stopped himself numerous times with bags half-packed and him on the verge of a mental break trying to find a reason to _stay_. Going over every reason and cause he had as to why he wouldn't survive on the road with half-folded shirts in his pack and no clue how to really protect himself. He's thrown away everything in his shop several times over, before going back and returning them to their respective shelves where they belonged.

He shouldn't go.

But be wanted to so _badly_.

With every threat and ill-tempered interaction with the racists at his door, in the streets, at the shops, Azura knows where else. He could just _go_. Find Galvorn, live on the road, away from everything, sleep with his back to the grass and see the stars every night in a warmer climate. Never alone. He'd- he'd learn how to fight, properly again. Learn the differences between the plant life of Skyrim. Start over again, start over better.

But each morning he'd wake up, open shop, and do none of that.

He almost wished he never met Galvorn. Revyn can't keep going on thinking he has a choice in any of this. He's trying so _hard_ to have a simple, survivable life. But every night he's packing his bags, telling himself he can do better, he deserves better, he _wants_ better. And every morning he remembers he just can't do better.

And like that, news comes of the Dragonborn setting off on the back of a captured dragon in Whiterun, and he isn't heard from for weeks after. The exhale only comes after, days after, where the sky opens up again, and news comes of peace. The Dragonborn returns, and he is victorious. Alduin is dead.

There is no talk of his companions, however. Of Galvorn and Lydia. Though whatever fear he may have been feeling was shortlived, when upon mere hours after the news reaches his storefront, Galvorn saunters in, looking a complete wreck with blood and dirt all over his face and armour, and he's smiling all the way through it.

Revyn was the one to kiss him this time, practically leaping over his counter in his hurry to pull that filthy face forward to smash their mouths together. Tasting blood and ash on his tongue, but he needed to taste it, to feel him, hands running over cuts and bruises and feeling his pointed cheeks under shaking fingers where stronger, more sure arms wrapped around him in firm response.

Revyn didn't call it love then.

He probably should have realized sooner.

" _No more leaving, please-_ " - "I'm not going anywhere."

He didn't want to bring attention to his own wants or needs because he felt like his life had met the path it was supposed to stay on. But he knew for a while, even when he didn't want to acknowledge it, was that his life wasn't supposed to end here. In this shop, in this city. Not now.

"Not without me," Revyn said between firm kisses, "I don't want to be left behind anymore."

Galvorn had pulled back at that, his eyes wide and curious, but Revyn looked dead set. "I can take you someplace better, but it isn't finished yet."

"I don't really care," Revyn was saying, and he felt giddy and a bit hysterical at how impulsive he was being, "I just- I can't do this anymore. I want to go."

"We can go as soon as you want."

Soon as he _could_ being the more accurate descriptor, as they stayed in Windhelm for another month, packing and rerouting and dealing with his contacts while putting everything on hold. Galvorn became a permanent fixture at his side, where the civil war returned and slowly began building once again, now that the threat of dragons had greatly diminished. Galvorn took care of a great deal of the menial day to day tasks, and Lydia stopped by every few days to help with packing and getting the plans for a carriage they could hire. He even slept on the chair for the first week, before Revyn took note of the dark uncomfortable circles under his already weary eyes, and eventually opened his own bed for use, ' _under promise that you won't be too forward, as it's improper. But I've got space, and it seems only fair._ ' to which Galvorn eagerly accepted.

He did keep his hands to himself, for the most part. They dressed turned away from each other, and Revyn had to ignore the things he wanted down to an _art_ and was proud of himself for never peeking over his shoulder, but he could occasionally feel eyes on him when dressing, making a pointed effort not to give in and look back. They slept with an inch between them, but by morning Revyn would wake entangled in a sea of limbs and his face buried against a warm steadily breathing chest, filling both his waken and sleeping dreams with messy blonde hair and freckled shoulders, hot breath against his face. Of strong deft hands against his sides, warm cheeks, breathing tight, feeling almost sweaty and nerve-wracked but he's looking down at him with warm eager eyes and he's- on- on his back, and those strong hands pushing him further back, pulling apart already trembling legs to-

Revyn would untangle himself from where-ever that mess of idle thoughts would lead to and either crawl out of bed or finish up whatever it is he was doing. Thinking of Ambarys and his comments on tradition, and mulling over the last bits of home he really had.

Keep his legs closed, practice breathing, wait till marriage or be labeled the dark elf whore that they'd see you as. That they already see you as. From the nearly prudish lands of his home into a place where his people are seen as so _easy._ It was a vehement need to prove them wrong. Leering stares, tasteless comments, wandering hands pushed away until his shell had nearly completely hardened. Ambarys had a point, even if it was frustrating to be reminded.

He just had to keep it together.

Run away.

Eventually, the day came.

The sky was mostly clear, bright, only faint snow floating down from the mountains nearby. Lydia helped gather the last few of his boxes, and Galvorn was finishing up gathering supplies for the journey. Solitude, he said, was the nicest city he'd ever been to, and it was lovely and safe, and they would travel some of the nearby holds on their way over. Putting on simple warm clothing for the journey, Galvorn approached him with a necklace. It was a simple gold thing, and Revyn insisted he wasn't a jewelry sort of person, yet Galvorn insisted, expressing he had enchanted it and that it should keep him safe. Revyn eyed it a little closer, noticing now the slight glimmer along the chain, but didn't recognize the enchantment. He put forward trust, however, placing it on his neck with no further complaint, to which Galvorn drew him in for another quick kiss before leaving him to finish his packing.

Idesa came by briefly to wish him well and make sure he was truly certain about this, but she held back no eagerness to get him as far away from here as possible. She folded up the rest of his spare clothes, a rather small amount, tying a firm knot over the pack. He left with a promise to write once they've settled elsewhere, and she left with a kiss to his cheek and a hug he didn't stop feeling for days after.

It was.. terribly strange. Stepping towards the main gate where Galvorn was waiting for him, his own pack strapped to his back and his bow resting there. His quiver was full again, and he had a bright smile as Revyn's walk turned into a small trot forward.

"You're really doing this?" Galvorn eyed him a good long moment until Revyn eventually nodded.

Revyn duly noted a few things that love could make him do;

Working his way into the carriage, refusing to watch as the city of Windhelm, where he spent too many years trying to please, faded beneath the horizon. Galvorn sitting comforably in the back with him, telling him all about the little towns and the people he's met and how excited he is to finally show Revyn how lovely it all is. Lydia driving the cart; from snow turned to gravel with weeds peeking through, and they were well on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wood elves are short but Revyn Sadri is shorter I guess idk Galvorn is v tall. I originally made him a short man but after doing some doodles I furiously changed my mind.
> 
> [Link to post with more artwork of these two. I drew like, four whole things and I think they're worth looking at.](https://twitter.com/toadprophecy/status/1253783186338975752?s=20)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor Chapter Warning: read tags my dude some got changed. Based off of personal experiences to a degree, but needed to be warned.
> 
> A/N: I did add some art to the first chapter, as a heads up! Considering everyone's dragonborn's are different, I think it's best to actually showcase him. (Link on the bottom of the page as well to other artwork) LASTLY: I beta/edit this all by myself, so if anything is goofed pls let me know. My autocorrect h a t e s Galvorn's name and it's possible it's misspelled somewhere. Please let me know if you see anything (As i have one set of eyes and I tend to overlook things), I apologize ahead of time!
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

The first few days of travel were some of the most peaceful days Revyn had experienced in a very long time. The steady sound of hooves on concrete, the far away chirp of birds, the bearable cold. Thoughts drew memories of his earlier teenaged years studying; staring out the bedroom window he hadn't thought about in years, thinking of the coast just out of reach. There was a peace back then he didn't think about. A calm where he could hear his mother talking avidly with Idesa just down the hall, his father away at work. They didn't worry about the volcano much then.

It was a lonely horrible journey to Skyrim, when things turned out the way they did. Barely graduated from school, parents never making it out of their house when the volcanic debris came crashing around them. Starting up as a young dunmer was difficult, in a new country, in a new city; it was harder yet when Idesa was still as young as she was and needed so much raising still.

He thinks, in the end, he did alright.

It was a peace he hadn't felt from years of having to work himself from the ground up. Getting the two of them on their feet, learning a trade, developing tirelessly his skill of pleasing and conversing to get them through another day. He's always been a social bug, but business was so very different and trying to build connections was ridiculously hard. It got better of course, as he figured it out on his own, but he'd put so much time into his craft he forgot, in the end, to take care of himself. It was a hard habit to break. There was anxiousness and guilt settled in him like a thorn. Worried he made the wrong choice, worried he was going to regret taking a break from his life in Windhelm, worried he wasn't going to be happy with anything else; reminding himself he wasn't happy to begin with.

Galvorn would check on him occasionally, and his easy attitude and kindness put so much of that fear to rest. Seeing his bright smiles and eagerness to show this hermit of an elf what the world was really like smoothed the sharp edges of his guilt. Knowing he had Idesa's enthusiasm follow him here, knowing he's allowed to do things simply because he wants to, it all feels almost nice. Settled in his spot between boxes, where their travel so far has yet to come across any hiccups.

The road this way had long since been picked clean of problems, the chilly weather surely warming up, but the cold breeze, he figured, will take another few days to vanish entirely as they traveled further south. It was comfortable, new, and most importantly, quiet. No guards marching, no Viola barging through his front door, nor aggressive customers or sexual harassment from travelers who refuse to understand he's not interested. He relished in the lack of slurs and threats being hurled at the silent walls of the grey-quarter in the early hours of the morning; there was nothing. No wandering hands, no triple checking his door was locked each night, nor restless hours before morning came to put up with it all again.

Revyn spent a lot of time napping.

Galvorn was chatting with Lydia at the front of the cart, the drone of their voices gentle against the brush of the chilly wind along his face. The movement of the cart on smooth road with the slow journey watching the trees pass them by, just kept doing him in. The fourth time he started awake, he felt hands in his hair and his cheek on someone's lap, and for a moment he thought he was still in his shop, and that minor fear returned that someone was here that was not suppose to be. Opening his eyes reminded him that he was, in fact, on the road still, and that he can't remember most of what happened that particular day.

Opening his eyes also informed him he was staring directly at Galvorn's waist, unable to recall when he crawled in the back to join him.

The fingers against his scalp felt good though. Dragging from the base of his neck up, letting his eyes fall close again. Fingers brushed along the length of his ear, causing goosebumps to trail down the back of his neck to his arms when he felt the cart move over a minor divot in their path.

"He okay back there?" Lydia was hushed, sounding like she was leaning over her seat directly towards them, "Has he eaten?"

"He's just tired," Galvorn's voice was a lower thrum, still playing with his hair, "I think this past month finally caught up to him. When he gets up again I'll make sure he eats. Keep an eye out for an alcove around here where we can camp for the night, it's closing in on nightfall and I don't want to be moving when it's dark."

"Will do."

Galvorn simply radiated warmth, and it was difficult to get enough of it. His hands were gentle, deliberate, and it was enough to drift him back into a dreamless sleep. The next time he stirred awake he was on the ground, blanket tucked on his shoulder and a distinct heat nearby. He groaned, stretching his legs out with a sharp inhale, rubbing at his eyes; he didn't know what time it was, as Revyn pushed himself upright with a tired huff, trying to get some idea of his surroundings.

They seemed to be in a small little cave, he noted, looking over the mossy ceiling and glancing back to see that it didn't go back very far. Their things were pressed against the stone there, hidden by larger rock formations. The bonfire was low but there, with something round in foil sitting in the coals. Lydia was asleep nearby, still fully armoured with her sword laid out beside her. It took a brief moment of glancing around to realize they were missing someone, only to see a flash of movement towards the entrance of the cave, finally getting a good look at the bosmer sitting on a snow bleached rock.

He's keeping watch, Revyn realized, which he supposed should have been obvious as that's what happens on the road. It's dangerous out there, and three sleeping bodies would have been reckless. He glanced towards the fire one last time, stretching a moment before pulling himself to his feet, he ran a few fingers through his hair to make sure it was in place before walking toward the hunched over bosmer. Galvorn's leg was bouncing, plucking at the string of his bow idly, back relaxed against the stone archway of the cave. The wind blew some of his hair from his face, most of it tied back but the knot was loose and hardly helping. Revyn wasn't sure if it was appropriate to bother someone keeping gaurd, but he wanted to see him and considering they hadn't really spoken today, he figured his transgressions could be forgiven. He got within twenty feet of him when Galvorn turned to look at him. The pinch between his brows lessened, smiling at Revyn's approach.

"Hey sleepyhead, you feeling better?" Gal reached out an arm for the dunmer to take when he got close enough, which Revyn took gladly. Galvorn pulled him in, propping his bow against the cave in one fell swoop as he pulled the dark elf onto his lap. There were only a few bells in Revyn's head that were telling him to stand up, that this wasn't appropriate and he was outrageously tromping on his own expectations of what he was and wasn't allowed to do. Strict teachings of long courtships, of chaperones and absolutely no touching.

Revyn was a lot looser about the rules since they're not being enforced; no figurehead to stop him from relaxing against the warmth that was Galvorn, from staying seated where he was and refusing to think on it longer. Ambrays was only a bit older than him, but he was already an adult by the time the eruption happened, and his ways set the precedent for many dunmer living in the grey quarter; it was hard to relax, hard to avoid questions about his own traditionalism without feeling like a liar to himself and the people who were there for him for years. They've only kissed a handful of times, and Revyn could count the amount on less than half the fingers on one hand. It still felt like it wasn't allowed, somehow.

A very large part of him wanted to be smart about this; it wasn't exactly uncommon for dunmer to worry less about traditionalism and then get chewed up and spit out and left feeling used after. He wanted to think that wouldn't happen here, but he was sure they didn't think it would happen either.

Even still, sitting wasn't bad. He's not going to feel guilty for sitting.

He smiled.

"I've been fine, I'm not fully sure why that happened." he retorted, "I'm not usually like this."

"A lot changed very suddenly," Galvorn folded his hands along the other side of Revyn's hip, trapping the elf in his arm loop. "You were doing a lot of very exhausting things setting up for the move, and you needed sleep." His eyes were warm as a soft smile graced his lips, "I'm glad you're getting rest, because I cannot guarantee it later on."

"That's fine," Revyn hummed, "I didn't miss anything interesting today, did I?"

Gal snorted, "Ah, we saw some mountains. There was a fox at some point that crossed the road. Very exciting stuff, actually, I'm sad you missed it."

"Goodness, next time wake me up before I miss the action." Galvorn smiled at that, before Revyn continued with, "speaking of actions, where are we heading?"

"Ah. Yes." Galvorn looked around carefully through the trees, his voice dropping, looking at Revyn privately. "Whiterun, to start. I have some business there, and I plan on hiring some mercenaries to take the cart the rest of the way."

Revyn looked at him confused, but Galvorn continued with "It's safer if we don't use the main roads. Mercenaries are well equipped to handle much of anything thrown at them, but Lydia and I are traveling with you and I won't risk you like that. I know some safer paths with less foot traffic. It'll be much safer and you'll be less likely thrown in a situation where you'd be forced to defend yourself."

While it made sense, he dreaded the length of travel. He's tried not to think about the dangers on the road too deeply, but to ignore it was foolish. He nodded.

"Suppose I shouldn't feel guilty catching up on sleep then." Galvorn gave an agreeing hum, watching as Revyn looked out towards the darkened forest, snow still piled relatively high and wondering when they'd finally see grass. "Where to then?"

"Well," Galvorn shifted on the stone, adjusting his feet. "We'll spend a day or two in Whiterun, get some rest and stock up, and then it's straight to Winterhold."

"The College?" Revyn frowned, "I heard there was a blast coming from there recently. Something nasty. It's still standing?"

"Yes," Galvorn glanced out into the trees again, " I have some things to deliver. We might make some stops along the way depending, I want to show you so much before we end our little journey. However, our final destination, for a time, will be Solitude."

"For a time?"

Galvorn gave Revyn a soft look, before unfolding his hands and reaching into the collar of his armour, he pulled out the Amulet of Mara.

"I still fully intend to marry you, which means once we've settled in Solitude and you're comfortable again, we'll have a nice trip down to Riften, where we might stop off at a few of the holds along the way."

"You're still absolutely confident we're actually _getting_ married."

Galvorn grinned, "I have in good confidence you're playing hard to get, and I'm going to work my damndest to ensure you never want for anything."

Revyn snorted at that, but before he could say anything else, there was a terrible growl.

Galvorn looked out towards the forest, hand snapping towards his bow and immediately on alert. His ears perked, before his shoulder slumped, looking at the dunmer a long funny moment before settling once again.

"I forgot you didn't eat today."

"Wait that was _me_?"

"I made you some potatoes," Galvorn moved to stand, Revyn pushing to his feet from his lap a bit sheepishly, his feet falling into the snow with a faint crunch, "you were really out of it for a bit and I didn't want to wake you, but there are two things of foil in the fire, I'll grab them. There's a pack sitting against the corner by the moss - yeah that one - that has some bread and drink as well."

Revyn was already pulling it open, "should I be mindful of how much I eat?"

"Not really. I think I overpacked food for the journey to Whiterun because I wasn't fully sure how much you'd need."

Revyn smiled to himself, "that was thoughtful."

"Well of course," Galvorn was leaning over the bonfire, plucking out the foiled potatoes, carefully peeling the foil back when Revyn moved to settle beside him. Once the foil was back, he flattened it like a makeshift plate against the cave floor that Revyn could set his bread down on.

They settled down, Galvorn with his back against the stone while Revyn ate, his eyes trained on the outskirts of the cave. Revyn broke off some of his bread and offered it, which Galvorn accepted with a little nod. The night settled further with Revyn fed, tired, and crawling back into his bedroll; Galvorn watching him slip away before finishing out his shift on watch.

The night was peaceful, and while the stone left much to be desired, Revyn was able to catch a final few hours of rest before the sun peeked through the mountains and kissed the branches of the trees, seeping through to the stone beneath their bodies.

Lydia was the first person Revyn saw when he woke up next, seated on the same spot Galvorn was last night. Day broke through just barely, feeling a hand on his shoulder softly shaking him awake.

Revyn actually felt refreshed, considering he was cold and his shoulder hurt a bit from where the rocks beneath pressed against him; looking up at Galvorn's bright face, his long hair pulled back into a bun and his clothes straight and perfect as usual. The bonfire had already been kicked out, where Gal started putting away Revyn's bedroll as the dunmer took a few minutes to straighten up his clothes; fix his hair, tighten his belt, and so on. Galvorn had everything packed up once he was finished, handing him a water skin as Lydia gathered some of their things and prepped the cart. The horses fed by the time their things were all secured and traveling down the road again.

Galvorn took the reigns first, allowing Lydia to catch up on some sleep of her own after last watch. The day dragged on pretty uneventful. It snowed for a short while and Revyn couldn't seem to bury himself _enough_ in his overcoat, the frost starting to wane on him a bit. It was perhaps nearing mid-afternoon when there was a shout not too far away.

Revyn didn't think much of it until Lydia cursed.

Galvorn whispered a sharp, ' _it's fine I'll handle it_ ' before waving down someone in the distance.

Revyn almost wanted to peek over to see what was happening, but Lydia slipped from her seat into the back with him.

"Stay still, and if asked your name don't answer. Let Gal handle this. Are you warm?"

"Fine enough." he responded, looking over towards Galvorn with concern, "What's happening?"

Lydia sneered, "Imperial soldiers."

Revyn frowned, "is that a bad thing?"

"It is when they're traveling with Thalmor."

Revyn glanced back to Lydia before looking over to where Galvorn was seated. He didn't look nervous, shoulders relaxed with his back straight as he steered.

"Hail!" came a voice not too far away, and with it the sound of numerous boots against the cobblestone.

"Hello!" Galvorn returned, slowing the horses down to a trot, before stopping altogether.

"Where do you hail from?" said a voice.

"Windhelm," Galvorn returned easily, "with the war on it's bad for business. We're relocating some stores, this should be the last of it, as far as I reckon."

Lydia and Revyn exchanged a glance but didn't move.

"Your destination?"

There were the approach of heavy thuds of boots just outside the cart, before two soldiers circled back and appeared at the back end of the cart. Fully armored, but relaxed, looking around and eyeing the boxes. One of them noted Lydia before taking particular interest in Sadri.

He seemed to eye him for a long time. Revyn shifted uncomfortably, folding his hands between his legs and keeping his eyes trained on some indents on the floorboards of the cart, but the feeling of being stared at didn't go away.

"Whiterun." Galvorn continued, "It's got room to spare, and plenty of folks to sell too."

"You sure about that?" It looked like one of the soldiers was about to board when Galvorn laughed.

"Of course I'm sure. I'm the Thane."

The soldier seemed to pause, now that Galvorn had shifted in his seat to look behind at the few who circled back.

"This is my housecarl Lydia, and this is our charge. It seemed a conflict of interest for him to continue working in Stormcloak territory."

"Right you are." This was a different voice this time, which Galvorn turned forward again to address.

Lydia stared down the soldiers at the end, eyes narrowing at the one eyeing Sadri down. "You need something?"

Revyn cut in, "if you're looking to buy, I have plenty of wares to sell." He gestured to the boxes, "just because they're not out on display doesn't mean they're not here to be bought."

The one staring chuckled, "Really now?" his voice made pinpricks in the back of Revyn's neck, "how much?"

Revyn blinked, "Pardon? For what?"

Revyn couldn't see his face properly under his helmet, but he could feel the toothy smile. "You said just 'cause it ain't out on display don't mean it can't be bought, yeah? How much a night we talking here?"

"Galvorn," Lydia shouted a little louder than expected, "tell them to collect their dogs or they're going to lose them."

Galvorn glanced behind him again, looking at the soldiers sharply. There was a forcefulness behind his expression that seemed to cause the pair to straighten up. Galvorn looked forward again.

"I mean no disrespect, but are you three in charge here?" Revyn didn't hear any response, but Galvorn continued on as if they had, "I thought so. -"

"Ooh so mad over some harmless fun," the soldier drowned out whatever Gal was saying up front, and the more the soldier leered the colder the dunmer felt. "I've had dark elf before, and there ain't _nothin'_ like watchin' all that propriety melt away." He did a crude gesture, placing his hands on imaginary hips that he thrust his hips in a disgusting circle against. Revyn visibly cringed, averting his eyes, leaning back in his seat and placing his hand against the curve of his brow like a barrier. His colour drained from his cheeks, feeling the rush of mortification strangle him.

Somehow showing obvious discomfort was the exact wrong thing to do because it seemed to only encourage the behavior, "oh hoo he's shy then, huh? Don't worry baby, I can stimulate you till you're numb, as soon as I get you wrapped around my c-"

Lydia grabbed the hilt of her sword but Galvorn stepped over from seemingly nowhere. The soldiers startled, stepping back as this exceptionally tall wood elf towered over them, stepping between them and the back of the cart. He sat down at the back, crossing his legs comfortably, folding his hands to support his chin as he looked them down.

"What are we talking about?" Gal said after a very long moment. There was no hardness in his voice, his shoulders lacked any tenseness, but there was a thickness in the air that seemed to vibrate. When neither soldier seemed to answer, Gal cocked his head, "I don't know about you but that sounded like a series of threats towards the charge of a Thane of Whiterun. Lydia, am I wrong?"

She stood up from her seat, finger tapping idly on the hilt of her sword. "More than threats actually, sounded like promises."

"Weird," Gal chuckled, "and here I thought the Imperials needed the advantage point of Whiterun during this war. Strange that they made us a target. Now boys, here's the problem-" Gal dropped his hands to his lap, the resounding slap startling, "your charges are a lot more concerned about Whiterun than apparently either of you are, and either you forgot what you're out here for or you're just fucking deaf and didn't hear me, but they've decided that either you crawl back to them-" he looked over to the side of the cart where one of the Thalmor was already standing, "with your tail between your legs and quit embarrassing them, or my personal recommendation, my favourite option actually, is I kill you here and now and we leave your bodies to rot on the side of the road."

"We were told to-"

"To check the back, yes." Galvorn let his legs drop, hands clutching the bottom edge of the cart. "Checking the back for Stormcloaks, Talo's worshippers, the Dragonborn, or illegal contraband. My charge offered you a look inside his wares and instead, you threatened to fuck him. Sounds to me you didn't even do what you were asked." Gal looked towards the High elf, who was clearly disturbed by the events and would rather be miles from here than dealing with any of this. "Now, graciously, I apologize for holding up your search, and you're free to go through the boxes as you see fit-"

"That won't be necessary," the Thalmor waved him off, "we have taken up too much of your time, Thane. We'll.. deal with these two. Please, inform your Jarl we take insubordination seriously and something like this will never happen again."

"Gladly, thank you for your understanding." The Thalmor bowed his head politely, glaring daggers into the two soldiers; the first darted off behind ranks, but the other gave Revyn one last long look before following. They started marching off in moments, Galvorn waving politely until they were far enough away before a deeply agitated sound escaped his lips. "Fuckers."

"You could pick them off," Lydia said after a moment, watching their shapes disappear beyond the hill. There were three Thalmor, and perhaps a dozen Imperial soldiers. It was unclear where they were heading, or if they were just patrolling the roads, it didn't matter. "You attack from quite a distance if you want to take them out."

Galvorn snorted, "I'll end up killing the wrong few, besides. If the one causing hell ended up dead tomorrow it's obvious as hell that I did it, and I toted my title around. I don't need the Jarl catching any comments because of this." Gal turned to face the pair of them, but Revyn hadn't moved from his spot, hand still covering his face. Galvorn sniffed, "hey Lyds, would you mind taking over the driving for a bit?"

She only briefly glanced between them, before nodding. "Yeah, I can do that."

Lydia slipped from the back to the front, pushing herself from the back of the seat to land up front. There was a minor jolt, before the cart began moving once again, the sound of hooves on cobblestone as Galvorn pushed himself up to stand, slipping further back to sit across the dunmer. Looking him over, his whole body was rigid; legs crossed firmly, one arm wrapped around his middle tightly while his other was propped on a box, hand against his forehead with his head down.

Revyn felt _vile._ His skin was crawling, and the fact that anyone had to hear that only seemed to make it worse. He could see Galvorn's boots, and the quiet that's stretched made him feel worse; he didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to act like none of that happened when it was hanging in the air the way it was. He doesn't know why he thought leaving Windhelm would have granted him some way of getting away from people like that, as if it was only the locals who liked to make vulgar comments. He knew better than that, but the disappointment and disgust didn't lessen because of it.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that," Revyn said after a moment, letting his hand drop to his lap, "I've gotten.. really lucky in the past that most comments like that happened when I was alone."

"Revyn, _what?"_ Galvorn looked like he wanted to reach for him but seemed to think better of it, instead his hands fell to his lap, useless. "That's happened before? Hold on, first of all you have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry I didn't have them stop sooner, I'm sorry I didn't just land an arrow between his eyes, the balance of Skyrims political war be damned," he sat forward on the box, "and- and _alone_? Revyn that's not normal."

"Yeah, you're telling me."

"Did it happen often?" Revyn shook his head.

"Not really." he let his head fall back a bit, leveling a look at Galvorn. "Mostly some handsy customers. I kept attracting a..- a type, to my shop. I don't know if it was because I ran the place alone, or I seemed easy, I have no idea. I kind of hoped things would be different."

"They will be," Galvorn reached for his hand, and Revyn was too deflated to pull away. Those feelings of moving too fast, being too close, too easy, kept swimming in his thoughts, but Galvorn was..- so warm. He was comfort, and Revyn really liked being close to him. "I have no problem cutting someone down in Townsquare if something like that happens again. And.. I hope you know that none of those factors mattered, they're creeps, okay? Nothing you have done or did would have changed their behavior, some folks are just..-" Galvorn's eyes got a little far away, the seriousness in him solidifying. "Some folks are just damaged. They feel the need to damage others to make themselves feel better, but their victims aren't at fault for what happened." he paused, "is there some reason you thought it happening when you were alone was lucky?"

Revyn twisted their hands, clasping their fingers together, mouth pressed in a tight line. "I don't know how to explain it. There are.. a lot of layers to that."

Galvorn gave him an encouraging smile, "we have nothing but time."

Revyn huffed, "By Almalexia, you're relentless." but Galvorn squeezed his hand, and the thought of having someone to sort of unload this weight with was hard to fight. He gave up so much so he could be by Galvorn's side, if he couldn't trust him with the way he was feeling, was any of that worth it?

Revyn just had.. so much to say.

He started with the easiest part; his childhood. Specifically the feelings concerning relationships, and the rules regarding them. He talked at length about courtships that would last years, of never being allowed to be alone with someone after interest had been shown, how touching was strictly forbidden, and damned be the dunmer who dared have sex before marriage. The shaming, the comments.

Galvorn's head was leaning on the flat of his palm, glancing between their hands, memories of pulling Sadri in for firm kisses and wandering hands, red hot shame flushing his cheeks. "I feel I've overstepped my bounds tenfold-"

"Well I don't see any Morrorwind figureheads nearby, do you?"

Galvorn dragged his free hand down his face, "I was so _touchy_ towards you in front of Ambrays. No wonder he looked like he popped a blood vessel."

Revyn snorted, "That's part of the problem, isn't it? We haven't lived in Morrorwind in decades, but that pressure is still there. I love where I came from, I respect it, but it's.. it's smothering me." It was harder to explain the guilt he felt wanting these things for himself because he was just so afraid of judgment from the peers that were there for him. Requiring their approval, but some of their more rigorous demands of those unmarried was suffocating. Dunmer were prideful people, strict sexual proclivities, and private. Galvorn watched him carefully, listening with intent. Revyn went on to explain that the times he responded hot-headed only made situations worse, and that simply not reacting didn't work and there was no way to get these people to leave him alone. That the culture he stemmed from often reinforced if someone was being leered at, it was because there was something _to_ leer at.

It was better for the comments to happen in private so he didn't have to hear about what he could have done differently to avoid it.

Galvorn looked rather sick.

He brushed his thumb over Revyn's, leaning forward deliberately. "Does it bother you when I touch you?"

"What?"

" _You_. Does it bother you, when I touch you?" Galvorn asked again. He reached his other hand forward towards where their fingers were intertwined, brushing along the others wrists before wrapping around the base of Revyn's hand. "I need to know honestly if I've crossed any lines you haven't been comfortable with. Goodness Sadri, you never said anything."

"Well I-" Revyn looked unsure of what to say, his mind racing to come to some sort of answer that made sense. "I- it's.. it's complicated."

"I can see that." Gal responded, cocking his head.

"It's.." Revyn grunted, annoyed, brows furrowed. "Those comments made today. About him having er.. _had_ a dunmer before? It all stems from the same root." Sexually oppressive culture did a number on many folks leaving Morrowind, and it's something Revyn has thought about a bit in the past. Why dark elves are seen as easy lays, why they're so sought after as a fun thing to pass around. A culture built around being touch starved had many settle in different countries with frustrations they desperately needed to get out.

It seemed to click with Gal, then.

"It's not that I don't like being touched by you," Revyn said then, a bit quiet, "it's that I feel like I need to represent a culture I left by proving to myself and others around me I'm not bending over for the first person who's given me any attention. We had enough problems in Windhelm to not have the Grey-Quarter labeled the red district as well."

Galvorn frowned at that but nodded.

"I just want you to know when I push you away it isn't because I'm disgusted by you or anything," Revyn said after a long deliberate moment, "Quite the opposite, in fact. I..- well, I wouldn't have dropped my shop like that for anyone. I wouldn't even do it for my sister, but you.." warmth spread in his cheeks, and Galvorn's seriousness seemed to lessen in light of this. Revyn had a difficult time keeping eye contact when Galvorn was looking at him with that much affection; he averted his eyes, clearing his throat. "I'm okay with these things," he squeezed his hand, "I'm okay with quite a bit, there's just some conditioning I was raised with that's been difficult to ignore."

"I understand," Galvorn hummed, looking down at their combined grip. "Well, if at any point I start to cross a line, you tell me, okay? I know I can be forward, but I'd rather not make you uncomfortable as a result."

"If I'm unhappy with something, you'll be the first to know." Galvorn's smile grew, pleased.

"I will say this however," Galvorn looked him over, "being sexually active isn't something to be ashamed of either. Sex is fun and enjoyable when it's with someone you trust, and maybe it fun for others when it's with strangers, to each their own. Either way, I won't look down on you on what you want for yourself. I know for some folks sex is a sacred thing, for others it's just something to do when they're bored, and sometimes it's a means to an end. It's not really any of my business, but you shouldn't feel ashamed for what you want, okay?"

Revyn shifted in his seat, thoughtful. He nodded a few beats later, and they fell into a comfortable quiet.

Nothing more was said.

The trip was a few peaceful days more when they finally reached warmer climate.

Revyn was thankful to finally shuck out of his heavier layers, face basking in the sun as he napped the hours away. It took very little time at all to reach Whiterun, the roads growing more patrolled but thankfully with Whiterun guards rather than any soldiers. They greeted Gal kindly and never bothered them.

They passed lazy creeks, and little farmhouses, to an enormous city sitting on the horizon. The stone looked so clean from this far out, no signs of decay like Windhelm, its walls pale and pastures clear. A warm wind brushed his face, leaning partially out of the cart to watch the birds dart by.

It wasn't long before they were officially going through the local farmlands, reaching the stables before nightfall. The stableboy spoke briefly with Galvorn, as Lydia helped escorted Sadri out of the cart, who stretched as soon as his feet hit solid ground. Lydia took over the conversation at the front, waving Gal off who happily stepped aside, returning to Revyn's side with no complaint.

"We're going to stay at the inn tonight," Galvorn hummed upon his approach, "Lydia is going to make sure your things are in good hands okay? I might spend some time tonight hiring some folks and we'll restock. I want to show you around in the morning, it's a beautiful city and I think you'll like it here."

"Why not settle here then?"

Galvorn shook his head, "lovely city, but both the Imperials and Stormcloaks are trying to gain control here. A battle is going to happen no matter what, and I'd rather not have you here when that happens."

Revyn frowned at that but took the other's arm when it was offered. Gal snagged their smaller packs from the back before beginning the trek up to the city gates. The cobble walk-way was a little uneven, and the lead up to the city was rather lackluster for what was considered one of the most important holds in Skyrim. The guards let them be, and it was strangely relieving knowing eyes weren't dissecting his every step; at most a wave towards Galvorn who greeted in kind as they slipped through the stone archway towards the main gates. They were let in with little trouble.

The sun peeked through the lazy clouds above head, trailing patterns along the roads that branched out before them. Homes of wood and stone, tree's growing from the secluded plots of land like rivers that streamed between home and street alike. Sunlight streamed through the branches, gold light on houses and the number of homely cottages left a fuzzy feeling of want in his chest. Revyn heard the sound of the smith just to the right as they started walking through, children rushing through and playing tag that Galvorn expertly maneuvered past, the strong smell of cured meats and bonfire smoke in the air. There was no moss growing from the stones as they passed the levels, no ice patches, no frostbitten wind howling from the alleys.

He felt like such a tourist, realizing after a moment they were walking at an absolute snail's pace as he took in their surroundings. He peeked up at the bosmer who was watching him with a funny amount of affection, before pointing out some of the buildings as they began to pick up the pace, listing off businesses, of the people he's helped and who around here was on either side of the war. Galvorn spoke at length about the petty feuds when they finally reached the market place. Now this..- this was familiar.

It was starting to reach sunset, but the vendors were still out and working hard. It was a wide space, stores surrounding the area and Gal was mid-way through a sentence about the inn up ahead when he heard his name being called.

Galvorn straightened up, glancing over his shoulder at one of the vendors, and when Revyn peeked over, he saw a striking Imperial woman. She was waving him over, and Gal hummed a second before pulling his arm back.

"I'll be right back," and with that, he walked off. Revyn didn't have much time to even stand there feeling awkward when a hand met his other arm, looking over his shoulder to see Lydia standing there.

"He's popular here, you might not see him much." she said before Revyn could even say hello.

He glanced over his shoulder a moment to see Gal already at the stand, leaning on the counter. The woman, whoever she was, was leaning forward as well, speaking quietly but she was smiling up at him brightly. Lydia was already starting to walk off, and Revyn decided it was best to not lose track of the people who know this city; he caught sight of numerous roads to elsewhere and it seemed rather easy to get turned around. Lydia slowed down a bit when Revyn actually began to follow, offering her hand out to take his pack but he waved her off. He glanced over his shoulder one last time, feeling... well, he wasn't sure. He thought of those early days when Gal would visit him in Windhelm, the counter leaning, the smiling, the laughing.

Lydia seemed to follow some train of that thought, placing her hand against the small of his back and pushing him forward. They were halfway up the stairs to what Revyn assumed was the inn when she spoke up.

"He's a gossip," she pushed the front entrance open, letting Revyn pass through first, "he helped quite a few folks here, and it's been a while since he's been in town. I wouldn't think about it too much."

Revyn chewed the inside of his cheek, "you seem to think him chatting with people bothers me."

Lydia gave him a look, before sighing. "It's none of my business Sadri," she rifled through one of her side pouches, "want a room to yourself then?"

"I can pay for my own room-"

"These are party funds," Lydia shrugged, "collective work get's collective pay, don't worry about it."

"Party funds?"

"Gal never explain that?"

Revyn shook his head, to which Lydia pulled out two pouches.

"Gal and I split money we make from work three ways. Two of which is for personal use, and the last third goes into a small party fund. We use this usually to pay for work, bribes, inns, and so on. It's mostly like a savings so we don't just spend money too frivolously."

Revyn quirked a confused smile at her, "You have to bribe people often?"

Lydia snorted, "Only if Gal can't convince them to do the right thing. Money usually does the trick," she shook the bag again, "so, room?"

Revyn adjusted the strap from his pack, thinking briefly about sharing a room with Galvorn but quickly shook the thought. Despite their earlier conversation, it was still improper. Revyn could still hear Ambarys' voice in the back of his mind, his accusation. He's been a bit too careless with his affections for someone who isn't actually..- Revyn thought about how he felt seeing Galvorn chatting up the Imperial woman and decided that yes, maybe a room to himself would be nice, because at his core no matter what was said, he doesn't want to just be another notch on Galvorn's bedpost. "A room to myself sounds lovely, actually."

~

Lydia was pleasant company when she eventually deemed anyone worthy of actually speaking too. Revyn had been convinced for a long while that she didn't really like him, only to realize that no, she does like him, she just doesn't have a great deal she feels is worth saying, so therefore doesn't. She was talking tonight however, and she had a lot to say about the folks that lived here and was relatively receptive to his questioning about her childhood and what made her become a housecarl.

Lydia was the youngest of two sisters and three brothers, her parents owning a patch of land just outside of Whiterun's gates. She visits occasionally, but most of her siblings either stayed with the farm or moved on to start a life elsewhere; she was the only one of her five siblings to join the guard. She had a normal, loving childhood, and she had only a few strong opinions of the war if any.

"I think that the Stormcloaks would have gotten more traction if they weren't racist," she stated a bit annoyed, a few cups in at this point, "I think it's fine to want to fight for your freedoms of religion on your own land. I don't think it's fine to treat non-nords as vile outsiders."

"I don't much care for the Stormcloaks, but it is rather silly to make a god illegal."

"But what's worse, you know?" Lydia looked down into her cup, the pair of them seated comfortably at a table further back in the inn, "Being forced to worship quietly, which plenty of deadra worshippers do already, or allowing some entitled Jarl with the minor ability to Shout to treat all elf races as beneath him?"

"It's certainly not just Stormcloaks," Revyn replied a bit bitter, mug halfway to his lips before saying, "But I see your point. It's a wonder to me you didn't say anything to Galvorn when he got involved with all that."

Lydia snorted, "I think he needed to see some things for himself. They were kind to him when the Imperials tried to kill him. There were a lot of conflicting feelings happening, but he realized fairly early on that the war wasn't worth it. He uh.. he doesn't think before he acts most of the time."

Revyn was staring at the bottle between them, debating if he wanted to keep drinking or call it in for the night but figured one more glass wouldn't hurt. He leaned on his elbows, eyes darting to the doorway as two more folks came in for the night for drinks, downing his own after a long moment trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling swelling in his belly.

He hasn't seen Gal for hours and the sun is now well and truly down. He had no reason to care for whatever it was he was doing out there, he never cared before so why was this any different? His drink tasted bitter.

Lydia kept glancing between him and the door, and with a sigh nudged him with her foot.

"Get some sleep," she hummed, "we've got a long day ahead of us."

Revyn tapped his finger against the table but relented with a frown.

"Well, alright. I'll see you the morning."

She waved him off, grabbing her mug without another word and settling in that spot for another while yet. Revyn looked at the door once more, but decided waiting up was a waste of time.

The room was small but warm, as he stepped inside. Cozy as he pushed his things aside, shuffling over to sit at the end of the bed, tugging his shoes off for the first time in days. There were holes at the heels of his socks, and he made a mental note to wash up first thing in the morning.

The lamp on his bedside was low, casting stark shadows over his sheets as he dressed down into something a great deal more comfortable, thoughts scattered as he pulled down the blankets and slipped under; not really understanding why he felt so down in such a new place.

His cheek hit the pillow, pulling the covers over his shoulders with an annoyed huff.

He doesn't know if he actually fell asleep, as he doesn't remember his door opening, nor the sound of quiet feet on the ground as he does the soft huff of breath of someone sleeping soundly nearby. Revyn is by no means a very light sleeper, and for breathing to pull him awake was staggering. For a disorienting moment, he thought he was still in his bed in Windhelm.

He could still taste wine on his breath when he shifted, bringing his palm to rub at his eyes as he tried to look at the spot in his living chamber where Gal use to sleep, before being reminded that _oh,_ right, they're not in Windhelm, and there isn't a chair on that side of the room.

Revyn glanced down towards the foot of his bed, and on the other end of the small room was Galvorn. His legs draped over the arms of the chair, arms folded on his lap and his head resting on the back. His shoes on the floor in a heap.

He wasn't sure what time it was, kicking from his covers and sitting upright in his bed. He watched Galvorn for a long moment, his stomach still in knots over earlier and feeling sort of foolish over it. The wooden floorboards were strangely cold when his feet dropped down against them. He trailed over to the sleeping bosmer, pressing his hand against his shoulder, causing Gal to jolt, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there.

"You have a room you know," Revyn hummed, his voice a hushed whisper. "Lydia should have handed you the key."

"She did," Gal inhaled, stretching in his spot. "But you weren't there."

"You're ridiculous, you could have a bed."

"You're nicer than a bed." Galvorn had such an easy way of looking so earnest, brushing his hand down the length of Revyn's arm. "I'm okay here."

Revyn could roll his eyes, but pulled at Gal's hands instead. "C'mon, if you're not going to go to your room, the bed has enough space for two."

"I don't wanna impose-"

"You've already imposed," Revyn pulled him to his feet, "You can impose comfortably, though."

Gal didn't argue, letting himself be pulled to the bed with little complaint. He tugged at some of the straps of his armour, yanking away the leather and mail. Revyn slipped back under the covers, pushing himself to the side closest to the wall, and after a moment Galvorn slipped on in beside him. Revyn turned to face the wall, but Gal pressed against his back and wrapped his arms around his middle.

There was a moment of uncertainty if anything more was going to be said, before he felt a kiss against his shoulder.

"What do you think of Whiterun?" Galvorn whispered against the base of his neck.

The breath caused a shiver, which Revyn knew for a fact Galvorn felt, but he thankfully didn't comment.

Revyn also didn't really know how to answer that. The city was lovely, truthfully. He just hadn't got much of a chance to truly see it, with his companion running off as quickly as he had. He decided not to think about the Imperial woman; when the world was ending, Galvorn dashed to him. If he had any strange feelings in his chest, he knew better than to settle on them. He was here now, and not much else mattered.

He shrugged.

"Its a city," Revyn replied, "You happy to be back?"

It was Gal's turn to shrug this time. "Sort of."

Revyn snorted, "I haven't seen you in hours," he rolled a bit to lay on his back, Gal draping his arm along his middle. The wood elf propped his chin up, looking down at the dunmer, "did something happen?"

Gal pressed his lips together noncommittally, brushing his loose hair back behind his ear.

"It's nothing. I had some folks to talk to, I was able to hire some mercenaries. Took some convincing, and had to offer payment before and upon their arrival but we'll be there before them easily." Revyn nodded the best he could considering he was laying down.

"What did that person want earlier?" Revyn asked, feeling Gal's fingers trace shapes on his arm.

"Carlotta?" he murmured, his mouth quirked. "She just wanted to talk. She hadn't seen me in a while, and wanted to inform me about what's been happening around the city. Nothing particularly important, but I like rumours."

"Lydia did mention you were a gossip."

"Why?" he idly pulled the blanket down a fraction, tugging mildy at the collar of Revyn's shirt, "miss me?"

Sadri swat his hand away, "It just seemed weird." he breathed, rolling his eyes a fraction, "but then again I've never been here and I don't know really any of the relationships you carry from the different holds."

"I'd argue you know my most important relationship."

"Well obviously. The woman that keeps you alive is vital."

"I meant you, but also yes."

Revyn frowned, "you're saying that now until we're in a tight spot and you realize I'm inept with a sword. You know who _isn't_ inept with a sword?" he poked his chest. "Lydia."

"I'm not inept with a sword," he pressed a kiss against Revyn's cheekbone, "I'm rather skilled with most forms of swordplay actually."

Fingers brushed along the length of Revyns ear, another kiss but this time along the bridge of his nose. "All forms, actually."

Thumb brushed along his lower lip, and Revyn let out a chuckle; bubbling from his throat and spilling out between them. Galvorn dropped his head to Revyn's shoulder with a laugh.

"I can do better than that," Galvorn insisted with a snort, his cheeks flushed with either amusement or embarrassment, it was hard to say. The fire flickering in the bedside lamp only really bringing out the glow along his ears.

"I'd rather get some sleep, Master Túrin," he pat his palm against his cheeks. Galvorn grabbed his wrist, pressing a kiss against the palm before leaning down and kissing him square on the mouth.

"Fine, but this isn't over."

"This isn't _anything_ ," Revyn turned back around to face the wall, to which Gal received the hint enough to turn down the flame to a lower flicker; and if at some point in the night, their legs tangled beneath the blankets, mouth pressed against shoulder and arms wrapped around one another, it was no one's business but their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Gal's like 6'10, and Revyn is closer to 5'5 concerning height. Woodelves are a shorter race but Gal got them Gene's. He towers a few inches over the High Elves as well which was important to me.
> 
> We don't actually know anything about Revyn's past, so I'm making some assumptions here. I don't know if I have the dates correct with the eruption of red mountain but figure I'll make it around when he was a teenager. Secondly, I sort of envisioned a very Pompeii situation, when it came to the eruption; and that his family lived very close to the base of the mountain near the coast. -- another thing I'm playing with is Dunmeri culture, and while i'm sure there is a whole wiki page about this somewhere, the main thing I'm focusing on is the prudishness of dunmer culture (I mostly based this off of Vulcan sexual culture from Star Trek, because it was a close approximation of what I had in mind) that isn't a wildly known aspect of them because why would they talk about it. I wouldn't think all cultures have the same courting methods, where to me Nordic is quick; Dunmer is conservative; and Bosmer culture is a lot more forward. Whether or not that's true, I don't really know, but I'm sticking with it. Thank you all so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Again, all mistakes are mine. If anything is particularly messy, please let me know bc I am editing this by myself and I miss things. Thank you for reading!

Morning came with the muffled sounds of conversation outside thin wooden doors, the smell of breakfast rolling in through the crack under his doorway; yawning in the mild realization, arm stuck out to stretch across the sheets, that he went to bed with someone and woke up strangely alone.

Revyn inhaled, forcing his eyes open with effort. Light streamed in golden from the clear high window panes, painting the covers with warmth and the walls yellow with morning glow, it was a welcome change knowing he has nowhere to be and nothing to do just yet. No storefront to open, no customers to handle - however, whether fortunately or otherwise, sleeping for long periods of time simply wasn't in his nature, eventually squinting at the bedside table, checking the lamp to make sure it was off when he noticed a single stem sitting on the nightstand. Revyn looked at it curiously, rubbing the sleepiness from his cheeks, pushing upright to rest on his elbows as he picked it up. It was a simple purple flower, twisting the stem between his fingertips.

He had a funny feeling this wasn't apart of room service.

His blankets pooled around his waist, shirt a ruffled mess. He never much cared for the flowers in Skyrim; he never spent that much time learning their properties or uses, but he knew perfectly well what they were worth. Gal was an alchemist however, he made his own potions on occasion and collected herbs, plants, fungi, and other sorts of unpleasant things. Revyn has obviously never seen the collection, but Galvorn talked about it occasionally.

Revyn couldn't help but wonder if this was given to him based on flower language, its properties, or perhaps Gal just thought he'd like it.

He's never received flowers before.

He didn't, quite frankly, know what to do with it, but he knew he wanted to keep it. 

The petals bounced, a violet bud sprouting lower on the thin stem, it's petals a spiral and he's seen so many of these, feeling silly for staring at it for as long as he had but it just felt different knowing it was a gift. He looked at his bag on the ground, recalling faintly flower pressing practice's and while he wasn't firmly certain if something needed to be prepped, he ruffled through his bag regardless until he found an empty journal. He planned on writing in it, but he figured the clasp would be perfect for keeping wayward petals from escaping. He'd never done this before, twisting part of its stem up before folding the front cover against it, tightening the clasp.

He thought about the flower as he finally sought out cleaning chambers, noting the side door he didn't bother with the night before. The floor only slightly creaked as he walked across, realizing there wasn't really a knob attached, pushing it to the side with blink as he realized it was a sliding door that slipped into the wall. It had a little divot he could use to get a grip, pushing it with ease as he peeked inside.

It was a simple set up, but he was pleased to see it actually had plumbing. Windhelm, at least in the lower districts, did _not_ have plumbing. It was a very old city, and most made do with collecting the water themselves. It was honestly disgusting, but they grew accustomed to the chore of gathering buckets from the ocean, spending hours just boiling the salt from the water to then spend 15 minutes cleaning their hair. He's had to set aside a whole day to get fully clean, thinking back on the jars he'd saved to wash his hands..- Windhelm wasn't built very well by any standard.

So far they've had what they needed to get their hands clean before eating and so on; but a bath right now sounded fantastic.

He gathered his clothes, folded and set on a stool by the corner, pulling off his shirt in the process. The tub was a nice white smooth porcelain that went directly into the ground, where, sitting just the inside on a little bump, were two towels and two little things wrapped in paper. Pulling them opened revealed small soap bars, more like marbles actually, and a written note with just ' _head_ ' labeling one and the other ' _body_ '. Pulling them to the floor, it took a second of looking at the knob before figuring out how it worked, pulling it forward as it did not twist. One temperature, he felt, and that temperature was cold.

He could do worse.

Satisfied, his hands were already on his pant buttons as the tub slowly filled when he felt the sudden inexplicable feeling he was being watched. When his hands paused from where they had hooked along his waistband, he heard a chuckle from the door.

"Don't slow down, we're already halfway there," Revyn shot a glare over at the tall figure leaning against the doorframe, who returned with bright smiles and an offering in his hand.

"Didn't mean to stop the show, darlin'. I know we were getting to the good parts."

"Gal, do you need something?"

Galvorn put a hand to his chest, mock hurt. "What? I can't admire my future husband's body? Who, at the very sight of him, brings me nourishment?" Galvorn lowers the plate in his hand a fraction, "and I, a simple, humble, awestruck elf, only came to provide him real nourishment on this fine morning because I have yet to make him yearn for me as I yearn for him."

Revyn perked up at the sight of food but sighed as if to begrudgingly allow Gal further in. "Well, _fine_ then, but you need to leave before I get in the water."

"I'm glad you've let me stay this long with your shirt off and your pants loose like that," Gal closed the door behind him, "I'll take about anything at this point."

Revyn felt heat spread to his cheeks, glancing down at himself a bit self consciously. He wasn't particularly fit by..- well, most standards. He wasn't impossibly thin either, just in some weird middle he didn't much care for. Galvorn didn't show any distaste in the way he was looking at him, but Revyn wasn't exactly meeting his eye either. 

Revyn hummed his 'thank you' when handed the plate, dropping to sit on the floor to watch the water level rise. Galvorn took a seat as well, offering a glass of water he'd been holding under the plate which Revyn accepted readily.

They sat in quiet, listening to the pour of the water which firmly drowned out any of Revyns' chewing, who tried to sneak glances at Galvorn because something looked distinctly out of place about him and he could not place nor pinpoint, chewing as he tried; which was admittedly, _difficult_ , because Gal was very pointedly looking him up and down where they kept catching each other's eyes and Revyn had to keep averting his.

He eventually sighed, offering the other half of his toast to the bosmer to give him something else to do, who chuckled but otherwise took it with little complaint. It gave Revyn a brief reprieve to actually figure out what it was about Gal that looked off, because he did look different; noting the recognizable armour, the familiar bracers, or how clean his hair looked for once. Looking soft if not a bit damp, wrapped up in a bun, his face for once completely free of dirt, before his gaze landed on the tiny purple blossom sitting by his ear, its much smaller stem wrapped up in a braid, its end tucked away.

Revyn was going to say something, feeling almost as if he did something wrong with the one he was given, when Galvorn leaned forward and shoved his hand in the water.

Revyn had his mouth full or else he would have either asked Gal what it was he was doing, or inform him that it's just cold water when a bright glow came from Galvorns' hand. The water near his wrist began to bubble, boil. The water was a little over halfway done at this point, and as Gal circled his hand in the water, steam began to rise. When he pulled away, shaking off the rest of the moisture before wiping his palm against his pants, he nodded to Revyn.

"Don't touch that until it's full, you'll burn yourself."

Revyn felt like his eyes had been opened to a whole world of possibilities.

Revyn swallowed his food, "Clever."

Galvorn smiled, "Thank you. I know you use to boil your water on the cooking spit, and I never wanted to mess up the system you had."

The dunmer snorted, "What, by making it more efficient?"

Galvorn shrugged, watching Revyn finish his plate before setting it to the side. The dark elf leaned back on his palms, legs stretched out before him, head leaned to the side as the tub filled. He could feel Gal's eyes on him, who seemed to only briefly hesitate when he said; "How are you feeling about all of this?"

Revyn let his head fall to the side to look at Gal a bit more direction, a little confused. "Taking a bath? Pretty good."

"No, I-" Gal laughed, eyes full of mirth, "I meant the journey so far. Any regrets yet?"

"Oh, uhm," he returned his gaze towards the running faucet, shrugging after a time, "I'm not entirely sure. I'm pleased to be away from Windhelm, there's no question about that. I rather like seeing you every day, too. Other than that little hiccup on the road, I'm not sure I'd call any of it regret. It's just.." he pressed his lips together, returning a look at the bosmer, "different. Not bad. Just different."

Galvorn looked pleased, pulling his legs under him. "I can work with different." 

"I can tell."

Gal hummed, eyeing Revyn thoughtfully but kept his hands to himself. Once the water was getting close to the top, Revyn slipped from where he was sitting and shut off the faucet, dragging the tips of his fingers along the surface to check the temperature; it was a strong heat but by no means unbearable.

"Thank you again, for this." Revyn pushed himself up. "Now scoot, I want to actually use it."

Gal snorted, grabbing the plate and moving to stand as well. "Alright alright, I'll leave. I want it noted I resent this, and also when you're finished up in here meet Lyds and I by the entrance. We have something for you, okay?"

Revyn squinted at him but nodded. "Alright, I'll be out in a bit then."

"Take your time." Galvorn didn't even need to be shoved out, leaving promptly and closing the door securely behind him. Revyn gave it a moment, making sure he was gone before feeling a little foolish for the lack of trust. Gal liked to tease but he was respectful at his core, so as Revyn shucked away his pants and underthings, he didn't worry.

The bath felt _amazing._

The water was like a hot spring, sucking in a deep breath before completely submerging himself; he stayed down until his lungs began to burn, resurfacing with a splash. Wiping the rush of water from his face, it felt clean and thankfully didn't smell of salt, so he took his sweet time scrubbing behind ears and digging at his scalp until he didn't think an ounce of dirt could have survived. The soap smelled of lavender and honey.

Dried up and bath draining, he used his towel to wipe away the steam from the mirror, examining his reflection for the first time in a long while.

Idesa use to say he had a haunted look about him. The worry lines on his face were a little deep, granted, especially the ones between his brows; his cheeks a little sunken and cheekbones rather defined. He would argue he rather looked his age, but there were years of exhaustion built behind his face that only a week or so on the road would not be able to erase.

He didn't really know what Galvorn saw in him.

His jaw was sharp and defined, cheeks full and frecked, nose sunkissed and pointed; youthful. He didn't really know Galvorn's age, persay, and he would arguably say things sometimes that would hint they're very close in age, if not a little older. Maybe he was nitpicking at things that didn't matter, he's wondered whenever Galvorn regarded his own reflection in the mirror, if he saw flaws of his own reflected back at him. Yet, considering the way Gal practically glowed, he heavily doubted it.

Revyn brushed a hand through his hair, untangling and smoothing it back. He had semi-coarse hair which was a hassle to manage but he's had years of practice under his belt. Dressing was a quick affair after that. Comfortable, close, and good for long treks, he did one last glance in the mirror as he tightened his belt and decided it was the best he could do for now. Cleaning up his mess, he slipped into his room to gather his things before finally stepping back into the inn.

It was relatively busy up front, a large number of folks already out and finishing up breakfast. The woman behind the counter glanced up at him with a bright, albeit tired, smile, accepting his room key gladly and thanked him for his patronage. Lydia and Galvorn were in some deep discussion, Gal leaning against the wall by the front door and Lydia with her back towards the wall. She looked grim at whatever was being said, but it cut short when they realized they were being approached.

Galvorn pointedly looked him up and down before reaching the dark elf's eyes, smiling.

"Feel better?" he said once Revyn was in arm's reach.

"Much."

"Good, because we have a busy day today."

Lydia pulled something from behind her and presented a polished, beautifully engraved albeit simple, shortsword.

_Ah_.

Alright then.

Revyn adjusted his pack on his back, securing the straps before reaching for the hilt.

"I know you know how to use a dagger, but there are a number of creatures you don't want to get that close to." Lydia hummed, releasing the blade, "I'm going to be training you on the road down, just in case we get in a tight spot where you might be required to fight."

For not being very big, it was exceptionally heavy. The grip felt nice, not too wide or thin as he wrapped his fingers around the base.

"That makes sense," Revyn _hoped_ he wouldn't need to ever use this. Fighting for his life in such a literal way was not on his list of things he desired to experience on this trip, but it was practical, regardless. "Thank you, I appreciate this."

Lydia nodded her welcome, as Galvorn pulled something else out from behind him. "Lydia won't brag but that's Skyforge Steel, by the way."

"A what?"

Lydia elbowed Galvorn who chuckled, "Skyforge Steel, extremely durable and only made here. She has a few useful connections, actually."

That explained why he didn't recognize it then; he was near certain he had seen every shape, size, and type of sword there was, as weapons like these are a needed commodity. If it's a type however, it would make sense that something like that simply would not be sold.

"That's very thoughtful, thank you," Lydia shrugged a bit awkwardly, clearly not pleased with being called out for doing something extra.

"Sure, don't mention it." she gestured towards the wood elf with her head, "Gal got you somethin' too."

Revyn noticed the bow then; when Gal pulled it out he assumed it was his and didn't think on it further but, now that he was looking at it, it was staggeringly different - Gal's bow is much longer than this and made of a very different material, almost like obsidian but it was hard to picture now that he couldn't see it. This bow, however, was pitch black. Lydia took the sword back to sheath while Revyn picked up the bow, turning it over in his hands.

He plucked at the already strung bowstring, looking to Gal for guidance who showed him how to strap the weapon on his back, the pair of seasoned adventurers showing him the specific straps and claps and how to wear them with ease. It was a little strange, but he didn't spend a whole lot of time mulling in the realization that he was going to _really_ be doing this when Galvorn stepped back to admire their work.

He tilted his head and gestured to the bow, "I'm going to show you some basics with this as we move along, mostly because I would prefer you not get up close and personal in a fight, but training in archery arguably takes a while. We'll see what suits you best, but at no point will you be alone in a fight, alright?"

Revyn nodded along, watching Lydia readjust her pack before reaching down and grabbing something sitting upright behind Galvorns leg. She pulled out some Iron arrows, handing him the quiver.

"Ready?" Gal asked then, and when it seemed like a positive consensus, he nodded. "Good. I already informed you both but I want to make sure everyone is clear; we are good with food, Lyds is carrying the tinderboxes and tents, I have a relatively decent store of potions on me and healing salves in case we get into a scrap." Galvorn went quiet, clearly going through some mental checklist before nodding, "I think we're good to go, then."

"About time," Lydia had her hand on the front entrance doorway, pushing it open with impatience. "Let's get going then."

~

Traveling on foot wasn't as terrible as Sadri had assumed it would be.

The weather was decent, especially so their first day. Calm winds with dark clouds that became of nothing. Revyn never walked this much in his life, and it simply might just be because he was new to this but by the _Divines,_ his legs ached. He could handle it of course, as he was trying not to slow down the company, but Gal wasn't blind to the fact he spent a while at nightfall rubbing his thighs.

Skyrim, admittedly, was a beautiful country, it's land vast and homely. There was so much ground to cover, and so much to actually see, and it sort of all made sense, the first night they properly camped under the stars, why Galvorn and Lydia did this so much.

Aurora stretching across clear skies, the grass impossibly tall around them, skewing them from view if anyone were to walk past. They decided against a fire, and Revyn fell asleep against soft grass and an oversized wood elf curled around him, to which Revyn realized in delight that Gal was a messy sleeper when out in the wild. Stretched out like a cat, leg's draped sloppy, with his face tucked against Revyn's shoulder.

They traveled through wide planes, slipping past Giants and their Mammoths, careful to give them a wide berth. From the grassy planes, trailing along the lazy river's and leaping rocks across trickling creeks, to the steep cliffs and quiet caves they were forced to move pass slow and silent.

From rocky paths to thick forests, they traveled. Revyn even forgot about the training, all of them a bit sidetracked the first few days on the journey, the sun bearing down on them as they stopped to eat and give their legs a break; he hadn't thought about it since the inn, which was why he didn't know what to do when Lydia came charging at him, sword in hand.

Another sword came flying out, parrying the attack, because unfortunately, Revyn _froze._

"Bad reflexes," Lydia straightened up, her sword sliding from Galvorn's, who had been in the process of eating when Lydia decided to pull this. "This is going to be hard."

" _Please_ try not to kill him," Gal looked at her sharply, but she waved him off.

"He wasn't in any danger, you were right there."

Revyn's throat was still in his stomach, watching startled as Lydia sighed and took a few steps out into the nearby clearing, glancing around at the trees before gesturing for Sadri to follow. He dropped his things, looking at Galvorn a little helplessly, but Gal was already settling down again, food in hand. Revyn rubbed at his face, frowning but eventually, he reluctantly followed, grabbing nothing but his sword as he trailed behind. They weren't very far, Galvorn able to sit comfortably within walking distance, watching them as he ate. With a shout, Lydia stabbed her sword into the earth, and while Revyn wasn't as noisy about it, he did the same.

"Alright, Sadri," Lydia crossed her arms over her chest, "few things. I'm not gonna go easy on you just because Gal's sweet on you. If you want to learn how to properly defend yourself, you're just going to have to lose everything you know about self preservation and start back from scratch." she brushed her hands down the front of her armoured pants, looking him over, "there isn't time to think in a fight, so you have to rely on instinct. Fortunately you can train your instinct. We are going to work on basics today, pay attention."

"I want you to watch what I do with my feet," she placed her dominant foot forward, taking on a wider stance as he turned her back foot to the side, her forward foot facing straight. Knee's bent only somewhat, as she relaxed her shoulders. There were a series of things she went on to explain, motioning for Sadri to walk around her and really take in how she was holding herself; balance, she explained, is what kept you grounded against any series of blows, no matter how powerful. It was dangerous to be knocked prone, and if he wanted to survive a nasty fight, he had to learn how to ground himself, find where his center of balance was, and work with it.

They spent the next few hours working on foot stance, with Sadri learning quick what felt sturdy and what didn't. Galvorn joined them after a short while and planted a hard kick against Lydia's steel-plated chest; she wasn't expecting it, but she only staggered a bit, staying on her feet. They didn't use swords that night, as much as it was simply getting his practice in to fall into a steady foot hold, and by the time the sun was setting, he was comfortable with the weight and position.

The following days were not nearly as kind.

Lydia was a harsh teacher, but it was understood that they were in the wild and he needed to learn before it became too late. He understood, despite hating the way his body never seemed to stop aching from numerous landed blows and strikes, having been knocked on his back more times than he could count, but knowing he had to continue getting back up because someone might not give him the chance.

Lydia just never stopped.

Walking wasn't even fully safe, and he dreaded when swords would finally get involved. She would kick out his legs and he's become more adept to picking up on someone being behind him at all times, of hearing the kick in the dirt, of moving or leaping to prevent her sweep. When they settled for the night, she mandated at least two extra hours of honing in on reflexes until he struggled to stand up again.

The night they got out the swords is when Galvorn got involved. Lydia had the routine of them stabbing the blades into the earth, and it was obviously some Nord practice that Revyn didn't fully understand but it seemed important enough to follow through with, which brought attention to the lack of it at the beginning of their training for the night. Revyn didn't have much time to consider that particular implication when another sword clashed against Lydia's before anyone could think.

Galvorn was bearing down onslaught after onslaught before Lydia could even properly get into footstance, knocking her completely off guard and she was on the ground in an instant. Revyn stared dumbstruck as Gal patted the side of Lydia's arm with the flat of his blade, reaching down to pull her back up, laughing as she got to her feet.

"Listen to her talk night and day about stance but a surprise attack got her down," Galvorn chuckled, spinning the sword in his hands a little wide. He looked to Lydia who narrowed hers in return, a dangerous smile playing on her lips before she gestured for Revyn to stand back. They hadn't gotten into much trouble during this trip by any means, and Galvorn had been bouncing with pent up energy since they left Whiterun. Revyn stepped back, genuinely thankful not to be in the middle of something like this, but also interested in seeing Galvorn showcase his own abilities; for all his talk, the most Revyn had ever seen were ranged shots, while extremely impressive, it wasn't fully the same.

They circled around each other, slow and deliberate. Galvorn spun his sword in hand, Lydia rolling her shoulders, neither spoke when the dam broke.

Lydia charged first; Galvorn surging forward, their swords clashed with a resounding clang. It was a practiced dance between them, ducking and weaving between inches of dangerous metal slipping past drawn shoulders and blonde hair tied back tight. Blow, deflect, duck - Galvorn hit the ground, but used the momentum to flip his foot up and catch the crook of Lydia's arm, slamming against her torso. The pain that shot up her arm forced her hand to let go of her weapon, and Gal was on his feet before she could reach it again, blade to her neck.

It hardly took more than maybe a minute, but Lydia's hands went up in surrender.

Gal grabbed her sword by the flat, offering her the hilt which she accepted gladly.

"That kick was dirty," Lydia rubbed at the assaulted elbow, sniffing, "just sayin'."

"Fights aren't fair," Galvorn sheathed his sword, looking back toward where Revyn was sitting, holding out his hand. The dunmer sighed, pushing to his feet to join them again. "If you can play dirty, do it. Your opponent wants you dead, don't hold back."

"I'd be much more useful in a fight learning whatever it is you both did right there."

"That's soon," Lydia wiped some dirt off the front of her pants, "but tonight we are using swords."

They didn't fight with them, thankfully. Some of the more aggressive methods had to be toned down because Revyn could and would get seriously hurt; instead they spent some time working on treating the weapon as an extension of his body. Getting an understanding of distance, getting use to the way it felt in his gasp and so on. They didn't do much swinging, the further on they moved, but they still had such a long journey ahead of them, with Galvorn keeping his eyes to the trees.

It wasn't very long at all until Galvorn built upon the lessons Lydia had been instilling. They found that Revyn's strengths were in his aiming; he had very good dexterity and hand-eye coordination, which made training with a bow a much easier experience, and a less harrowing one at that. They still practiced with a sword, but Galvorn took control of much of the time they had for training to show him breathing exercises, how to steady his aim alongside his heartbeat, explaining how wind could change minor course; stressing the importance of taking in account distance and how long it may take to hit a target. The only part he had any real trouble with was quickly getting out the bow and arrow at a moments notice, as compared to how quick he has gotten with his shortsword. Galvorn insisted that it would be fine, because he would need to be at range anyhow and that means out of the thick of danger.

Lydia would remind them both that the thick of danger could come from anywhere and it's never the point to be in the middle of it.

It was unfortunate that their peaceful journey couldn't stay peaceful the entire way through.

It was midday, a bit cloudy and their path through the trees rather narrow; Galvorn heard it when it was too late, too involved in some conversation with Lydia when something large came pounding from the bushes. Large arms like tree trunks flew forward knocking hard against Galvorn's middle, thrown and slammed against a nearby tree, his body collapsing in a winded heap. Lydia snapped to attention, her sword out in a moment, quickly dodging another potential staggering blow, shouting for Gal as she slid against loose leaves, gaining momentum to slam her sword against the creatures square torso, and in the chaos of moving parts Revyn finally pulled his bow free.

He'd seen Troll Skulls in the past, but it was much more terrifying with all its sagging flesh and reeking patchy fur. An arrow hit his string with loose practice, his breathing moving too quick for him to rely on as one arrow flung from his bow. It hit a tree behind the creature, it was moving too fast; Lydia dodged another swing, Revyn knocked another arrow, fired, missed; another arrow-

He was getting flustered when he saw a flash of light on the other side of the creature; it cried out, its enormous jaw going wide, stringy spit flying, teeth gnarly as it swung an arm back towards presumably Galvorn, flame licking up and clinging to it's mossy fur. Revyn breathed through his nose, focus, aim, focus, _aim_ -

The arrow flew and buried itself against the creatures thick neck, but whatever joy he might have felt at landing a blow was short lived when the creature turned its attention to him and snarled.

" _Sadri get back!_ " Lydia tried burying her blade into it's belly but the creature flung her away from him, huge fists pounding against the ground, using the force of it as momentum to charge forward. Revyn stopped thinking, another arrow flew and made mark in it's chest, one more through it's shoulder- his hand slipped, dropping the next arrow and the beast was nearly on him when a figure leaped onto the creature's back, hands grasping the beasts huge skull and with an angry shout, a blast of flame exploded on close impact. The troll jolted, swinging it's body furiously, trying to dislodge the elf on it's back but Galvorn wasn't finished yet.

An arcane burst of heat streamed through his palms like lava, it's skin on it's face melting rapidly, stumbling forward without a sound before collasping in a heap. Galvorn leaped off, rubbing his hands together as the heat died. Lydia brushed herself off, stepping over to examine the troll as Gal rushed over to Revyn's side, his smile wide and ecstatic as he pulled the dunmer into a tight hug.

"You hit!" Gal cupped the others face, looking him over for any damage, but the creature never got close enough to do much harm. Once Galvorn was satisfied he was alright, turned to look at Lydia who gave him a thumbs up, giving the all clear. Revyn learned then that Trolls regenerate, and if the damage was healing at all, it meant it wasn't fully dead yet.

"There might be more nearby," Lydia said then, patting Revyn's arm. "Keep your guard up."

Galvorn nodded to that, looking around carefully, making sure they hadn't turned around before gesturing for them to follow close behind.

Their path ahead wasn't nearly as treacherous, where Galvorn took lead and scouted ahead as needed. No more trolls as the hours rolled on, and soon they were in enough of a clearing to see around with significant ease. They stayed on edge regardless, as they got into the thick of the forest, further off path from any road as the eye could see.

Revyn practiced while they walked; Galvorn showing him the dips in the earth which suggest nests of rabbits, tracks in the dirt that would lead them to a stag, and so on. It was a few days still before Revyn was good enough with a bow that Gal brought him along to hunt for meat. Nothing major, and Gal was at his hip the whole process as they treked a little from the campsite, letting Lydia stand guard. They found a nice spot before a wide clearing, Gal gesturing for him to sit.

"Too much activity will cause any prey animal's to hide, the longer this area is dormant usually is followed by something to hunt."

So, of course, their voices dropped to a low hum, matching the buzz of the natural world around them. Nothing happened for a good long while, Revyn settled comfortably at the base of a tree, watching the sunlight stream through the leaves, lighting up spots along his legs that he traced, ears listening out for any sudden sounds. Galvorn watched the open plane for any movement, feeling serene when none really came.

Revyn watched him after a while, trying to memorize the minor flicker of his ears, his sharp keen eyes picking up any subtle movement from who knows where. He held himself with such grace and confidence, and the want to reach out and touch him grew strong the longer they sat by.

He was chewing on some thoughts as well; Galvorn had to learn through necessity how to survive out here. Picking up on tricks which honed himself to it through dire experience, and Revyn sort of felt like they've placed training wheels on him, it just made him want to shuck himself free of it.

He understands he's still learning, but he's been feeling rather down and out about the whole mess. He wanted to do more. It was his suggestion to come along, it didn't feel fair to have to also force them to hold his hand the whole journey. He didn't much like imposing, despite the lack of complaints.

"Gal," Revyn kept his voice down, Galvorn turning to look at him with interest. He ' _hm_ 'd softly, as Revyn plucked at the string of his bow, brows knitted in thought but determined. "I want to help with watch tonight."

Whatever Galvorn might have thought he was going to say, absolutely none of those options was the one given. He looked at Revyn a long moment, his own brows furrowed but the dunmer cut him off before he could simply tell him no.

"You and Lydia are exhausted," Revyn pressed, "nothing ever happens at night, and you already swept the area of tracks. There's no big beast that have a home by here, and it would only be for a couple hours-"

"Why would you ever _want_ to go on watch?" The incredulousness almost breaking their low thrum and Galvorn barely saved it, sitting forward. "Watch isn't something you take lightly. You're the first defense when everyone is asleep, you're the alarm to get them up-"

"I'm _aware_ of how watch works," Revyn snapped, "look, my lack of experience doesn't actually make me some inept child. We're going to be on the road for some time still, and are you genuinely prepared to continue with four hours of sleep every single night for..? Who knows how long now. Lydia made comment of another month, month and a half." Galvorn pressed his lips into a line, averting his eyes. Revyn saw the look of contemplation, and ran with it, reaching over to clasp his hand over Gal's, who fanned out his fingers in turn to intertwine them together. Revyn sighed, "I want to help. I'm trying to give back and stop being such a burden on this quest that you each have to baby. I've gotten decent with a bow, I'm getting better with a sword, but I won't continue to get better if you both continue to insist I'll never get so far as something as simple as waking you up if there is danger."

"It's not that I don't think you could do it," Galvorn frowned, rubbing his thumb over Sadri's, "It's more.. I trust myself and.. and Lydia to keep you safe. We can handle ourselves if something goes wrong, but you're not there yet. You're getting very good, and I won't argue anything against that. You're learning so much faster than expected and I'm immensely proud of you," his expression was earnest, looking the dunmer with uncertainty, "I just worry. Just because thing's are going alright thus far doesn't mean they're not about to change."

"I can wake you up," Revyn insisted, "I won't try and hunt down anything I see or handle it alone. I can wait and be right next to you and we can even start slow, like an hour, two-"

"You're really not going to let me tell you no, huh."

Revyn frowned, "Galvorn, _please._ Let me prove I can handle this. I'm so sick of being treated like a child, and maybe if I can handle one successful watch both you and Lydia will realize I'm fine. I can handle cutting down a wolf, I even helped take down the Troll."

Gal smiled a bit at that, "you did amazing with the Troll." but the smile faded a bit, "I just.. you freeze up Revyn. This isn't a life you're use to, and I feel like as soon as we can get you to stop locking up when startled, is when we could start lessening these restrictions we put on you."

Revyn slumped, frustrated, "I can't help it-"

"I know, I know- I'm not..- I'm not trying to make you feel bad because of it. I've locked up to, I use to do it constantly, but it was a reflex that took a long time to beat. I was lucky. Lucky every single time I made it out of a battle alive, because an incredible amount of creatures thrive on that moment. That split second of inaction, I don't.." Galvorn leaned his head against the tree, pressing his hand against Revyn's cheek who absentmindedly leaned against the touch, "I don't want something happening to you. Not when I'm here to stop it."

"And you _will_ be there," Revyn, rather boldly, pressed a kiss against Galvorn's palm, reaching up to hold against the back of his hand. Gal admired him fondly, even as Revyn frowned in thought, "I want to prove myself," in a flash, something occurred to him, looking at Gal with a surge of energy, "how about this, we make a deal, okay?" he looked pointedly towards his bow, glancing at Galvorn with an "If I kill us dinner tonight, you have to let me take watch, for a short while as needed. _But_ if I don't, I stay up with you during your watch and you show me how its done."

Galvorn snorted, "I love that there's no option of you getting a full night's sleep."

" _Gal-_ "

"Revyn I just-"

"I need-"

"-you need more time to practice-"

"-you to..- I'm trying to practice! How else am I to learn except from-"

"-and experience-"

"-exp..- Gal please explain to me how I get experience if you're dead set on stopping me?"

Galvorn huffed, pulling his hands back to rub at his face. "Revyn I can't keep you safe if you're alone."

"I don't need you keeping me safe!" Revyn hissed, trying to keep his voice down, "How in the hell am I suppose to be able to have your back or protect you if you won't let me, but I have to be perfectly fine with being a constant burden to you?"

Galvorn's looked at him incredulously, "You have never been a burden, I don't know where you're even getting that from," he looked over Revyn searchingly, "and protect me? Why-"

Revyn sighed into his hands, "you're missing the point," letting them fall to his lap, "I want to maybe one day be your equal, Gal. I can't do that when -"

"Stop, no." Gal was sitting forward, "What are you even _talking_ about? Revyn you have _always_ been my equal. You-" his hand flip uselessly in the air, like he was trying to grasp words that weren't there, eyes darting about, "you..- you don't.. _need_ to prove yourself to me. You have never had to prove yourself to me, and you absolutely never will. You built your _life_ from the ground up, with nothing and no help and you made a name for yourself. Just because maybe you can't single-handedly kill a bear on your own doesn't mean we are on uneven playing fields. You have your strengths, and maybe it's not fieldwork, even despite how quickly you are learning out here, and you _are_ learning very fast. I'm just afraid of you moving too soon before you're ready, and _watch_ isn't something I think.." he trailed off, his ear seeming to catch something behind them in the tree's but Revyn saw something move through the clearing.

Whether he worked better out of spite or in anger, he didn't know, but three arrows made their mark and the body of a stag fell to the ground before Galvorn returned his attention to what was being said. Revyn stood up, brushing himself off and strapping the bow back to his back.

"I'm taking the first watch tonight." before storming off back to camp.

Galvorn sat there dumbstruck for a long moment, looking at the body a little ways out before glancing towards the trees again towards whatever that noise was. With a sigh, he dropped his face into his palms, breathing a long moment and feeling like he was right but he somehow still said the wrong thing. It was a long moment later before he finally pushed to his feet, heading to the stag to begin the quick work needed to flay and meat the beast.

Lydia didn't say anything when Gal returned a little while later, cleaning the blade of her sword out of boredom but Revyn was no where in sight. He had a feeling maybe he went off to collect some firewood, until Lydia seemed to settle back against the log she was resting on.

"Where's Sadri?" she said after a moment, eyeing Galvorn and looking somewhere behind him.

"Shouldn't you know?" Galvorn frowned at her, "he was with you last."

"What?" Lydia pushed to stand, "he was with _you_."

Galvorn dropped what he was carrying looking towards the trees wildly. They didn't go that far, it's not possible for him to have gotten lost. Lydia seemed to follow with his train of thought, sheathing her sword.

"Search the area," Gal pulled his bow free, darting back the way they came, trying to figure out if he just made a wrong turn somewhere, maybe he was brooding on some rock or maybe-

Some sticks were broken nearby, a little off the path they took. He could see the clearing not too far ahead, and glancing behind he could see just the edge of their camp. The path was _right there_. He stepped off the path, moving carefully as he pushed aside fallen leaves with his foot, trying to get a reading of the dirt under the grass, looking for something, anything - an arrow. There, there in the grass. Something was attached to the end, as he approached, seeing tracks of feet, sole imprints he didn't recognize as Revyn's, plucking the page as he heard the heavy thud of Lydia's feet racing up behind him.

Colour drained from his face.

_"Seem's a little more than a 'charge', huh? Dragonborn?_

_You evaded us on the road, but you will not evade us_

_now. Your voice is unmistakable, dragon priest mask_

_or no. You will pay for the havoc you have caused the_

_Thalmor Embassy. You will submit to us and face just-_

_-ice for the war crimes you have committed against the_

_Aldmeri Dominion. Killing a dragon does not exempt_

_you. Meet us at the Nordic Ruins South East of here,_

_and perhaps if you come quietly we will let him go._

_You have one day."_

The page caught fire in his grip, turning to ash as he pulled the arrow from the dirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So; on some wiki it states that Revyn is a lvl 4, warrior (which just means he's capable of offering training ie, speech) he's literally a wordsmith; his health, stamina, and magicka is so tiny so yes we are leveling him up on this journey. He's a complete infant in the big dangerous world of Skyrim and while it matters less, but during this time I'd say Gal is around level 30. Hardly god-level but pretty good in a battle.
> 
> I have bigger more popular fics I could be working on but I can't stop thinking about these two so here I continue.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm hoping I'll have this whole fic finished by the end of the month; maybe for the first time in e v e r I'll be on top of my writing and have regular updates but god knows fellas. Again, all mistakes are mine, I'm the only one editing this and I am prone to typo's and grammar crimes; I hope you enjoy!

Everything happened too fast.

Revyn actually got into a _fight_ with Galvorn; his face was heated, limbs practically shaking from so much pent up frustration he could barely breathe, barely think straight, carelessly walking towards camp and he supposes it was his fault for thinking he could handle much of anything on his own. He heard it before he felt it, a sharp biting pain stabbed at his shoulder and he saw a mix of red and green fog up his vision, stumbling forward with an inhale before collapsing in a heap, his limbs locking up. He couldn't blink, couldn't shout, couldn't- there were hands on his legs, his back, his arm's, his head-

He saw flashes of dark robes with golden stripes lining the seams, a few voices speaking in a language he didn't know; his body completely limp as one of them hissed something at the others before scooping up the dunmer like a bride. Muttering under his breath as they carefully tried to slip off, pausing long enough for Revyn to realize they were waiting for Galvorn to walk away, watching as the wood elf sat with his face in his hands a long moment through the thick of the brush, before gathering himself with a mournful sigh, his face so tired, and walking off towards the clearing.

The deer.

Revyn tried to reach out, tried to talk, to scream to..- to _anything,_ but nothing was there. It hurt to breathe, and he had to focus on expanding his lungs or else they'd freeze up too.

He watched Galvorn vanish from his sight; there was a nod then, and his captors slipped off from their spot. Something bashed the side of his head and he became lost to the world.

~

The first thing Revyn knew when he startled awake was the rancid taste of blood that had filled his mouth. The pain in his head was a sharp throb that shot like lightening down the base of his neck, causing his eyes to water and his nose to wet, heat filling his cheeks. Groaning against the stone his face was pressed against, Revyn tried to push himself up but his wrists caught. Tugging again made him realize they were tied together, feeling the sting of the rope chaffing his wrists, his shoulder suffering from a throbbing ache. When he moved he could only manage a shrug, his arms were bound so tightly, forearms pulled back painfully at the elbow down. He was afraid to open his eyes.

It didn't seem to matter, as the more he blinked and attempted to move, it did so little, causing the hopelessness to curdle in his belly with every useless jolt and pained tug. It was exceptionally dark.

A flood of cold memories came rushing back; the argument, the sting, the flash of black and gold and he was too terrified to move. He couldn't hear anything other than the distant sound of dripping, wind howling through cracked stone, forcing himself to blink to try and make sense of what was happening.

It was...- so very dark.

Moving his legs proved he wasn't fully tied down, but it was hard sitting up with no arms, but he managed it. His vision blurry, looking from the ground up, he tried getting a look at what was restraining him; his arms were tightly bound, the bindings against his elbows a thick leather with a metal hoop sitting in the center, that metal was attached to a relatively short chain that was bolted to the ground, which would explain why his legs weren't tied. He was on..- well.. the more he looked the less he recognized. All dark mossy stone, intricate deep carvings spiraling from where he stood, out. A crypt dragging down a long series of cracked worn stairs leading up to where he sat, the ceiling a dark wretched spiraling wall of coffins with no end in sight. The only light came from weak flames along the path drawn from old totems crumbling from age, recently relit. The stone was wet, making his knee's damp, ancient nordic symbols digging into his skin.

Revyn looked about wildly, panic numbing his fingertips and shooting from his chest out, hearing the distant thudding of what must have been footsteps.

It echoed but he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

He saw an extending path just beyond his left shoulder, vanishing against an open archway with a turn to somewhere. Something dragged against stone before him, his heart was pounding, breath coming in short and shaky, dissipating as a faded cloud inches from his face.

Shadows grew from the archway at the base of the stairs, three of them. Dark cloaks with gold trim walked in formation up, silent as the night, each step a steady advance.

"Ah, he's awake." one of them said, but Revyn couldn't tell which.

Revyn eyed them each wearily, shrinking back the best he could but unable to get very far. His voice caught in his throat, trying to find some way to talk himself out of this but he didn't know enough about who they even were, let alone what they wanted. It didn't matter, when they reached the landing the two in the back circled to each of his sides, while the one leading the charge stooped in front.

Thalmor.

These were Thalmor.

Revyn took in the face of the high elf before him; all sharp cheekbones and defined jaw, long blond hair dropping down straightened shoulders through his hood. His stance was tight, sharp, skin a clear gold, and eyes blasé. Revyn bit the inside of his cheek, eyes snapping nervously over to the Altmer at his flank.

There was a minor gesture from the one in front, before hands were on him. Revyn shouted when grabbed by his throat, aggressively jostled as another pressed against his cheeks, forcing his jaw open -

"I hope you understand none of this is personal," the Thalmor before him tutted, head cocked, "I just have no reason to believe you'll be honest with us."

" _What are you-!_ " A bottle was pressed against his mouth, sputtering at the thick astringent contents, a strong bitter sulfuric liquid filling his mouth and when the bottle was moved, a hand snapped to cover and prevent him from spitting it out. Revyn gagged, wrists straining against his bindings, but the taste was too overpowering and he eventually swallowed with a disgusted cough. They pulled away, leaving Revyn gasping and gagging, spitting on the ground as he tried desperately to get the taste out, but it only seemed to grow worse. His throat burned, tongue between numb and tingling, his stomach-turning.

"Good boy," the Thalmor crouched down in front of him, folding his hands pleasantly. "I have some things to ask you."

Revyn felt words tumble from his mouth, a series of adjectives spilling from his lips about the taste; bitter, acid, gross, _filthy, acid, hurts_ \- Revyn blinked, words like 'confused', 'hurt', 'tight', 'stop _speaking_ ', ' _why can't I stop_ '- forced their way through, breathy and without restraint, looking up at the Thalmor with moisture stinging his eyes, coughing at the feeling of bile rising but never quite reaching the top of his throat.

The Thalmor didn't smile, but something about him felt distinctly pleased.

"Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way, I am Eracelmo. I don't expect you to know who I am, of course, as we only met in passing." he looked the dunmer up and down, "At the time you were, unfortunately, only introduced to me as a ' _Charge',_ but it has become increasingly clear to me that you're a great deal more than that, aren't you? Now," he tilted his head, "I've so politely introduced myself, I believe an exchange is in order. Who are you?"

It hurt to try and resist speaking, clenching his jaw only forced him to cough harder, agitating the pain in both his shoulder and his temple, words dropping without consent; "Revyn Sadri. Merchant, Windhelm, orphan, brother-" he tried chewing on his tongue but his mouth was not cooperating, "what is this place, why am I here-"

"I was informed by your lovely companion that you were traveling from Windhelm," Eracelmo continued, "however you did not stay in Whiterun like we were told. I did a little digging and it seems you've been living in Windhelm for a long number of years, which brings up the question of what side of the war you are on."

"What? Neither, I-" Revyn's heart was absolutely _racing_ , tugging on his bindings, " _why can't I stop talking_ , what did you-"

"Jarl Stormcloak." 

"Bastard." Revyn shook his head, surprised at himself, even as thoughts piled towards the Grey-Quarter, the icey streets, to its bitter frostbitten mornings. The abuse, the steadily rising taxes, the threats bouncing against the cold walls of his street and how nothing was ever done about it; "Absolute bastard." Between admonishments and answering questions without restraint, the Thalmor before him simply watched, taking in everything being said without particular comment. He did ask about street layouts, possible ways into the Jarls stead without notice; whether or not he was disappointed in what Revyn lacked in knowledge, he didn't show.

But with thoughts of the Grey-Quarter came thoughts of his home. The words were dragged out but were still being said; when it was clear Revyn was trying to dodge his own thoughts, the Thalmor didn't miss it when Revyn spilled out 'us' and 'we'.

"I'm rather interested in your companions," Eracelmo looked pointedly down at the dunmer's mouth, glancing him up with a sharp smile, "specifically the tall one. He's rather intense, is he not? Now, unfortunately, he introduced himself but I'm truly.. struggling to recall his name, what was it again?"

"Gal." _What the fuck-_

"You are so forthright," the Thalmor hummed, almost fond, "I appreciate the reminder. Galvorn Túrin, I recall now. Thane of Whiterun, could make the air around him vibrate with tension, couldn't he? He seemed fiercely protective of you, however. I do apologize for the behavior of the soldiers we traveled with, Imperial's often need put in their place." Eracelmo shifted, "I would like to know a few things. First, what is your relationship with this Galvorn? What comes to mind when I say his name?"

"He's nice, warm, soft, safe-" tears stung his eyes, trying to dislodge his thoughts but the words kept coming. Flashes of his face, his laughter, his- "he smell's of pine and his hair is a thick dirty blond that fall's below his shoulder blades when not tied back he-" Revyn tried swallowing his words, nothing he did mattered; "he's tall and freckled, warm and mine and-" heat rose to his cheeks, dread curdling in his belly, " _stop_ , stop-"

"I didn't ask you to stop." Eracelmo snapped, "Focus. Galvorn."

" _Sweet_ ," he felt winded, the sulfur strong against the back of his tongue as he spoke. "..-he tastes sweet, and his face is always dirty, he's - he's such a wonder to me, and fill's my chest with such _want_ that I-" Revyn choked, falling into a fit of painful coughs.

"Hm," the Thalmor folded his hands thoughtfully as the dunmer caught his breath. "Tell me, what's Galvorn like in battle?"

"The troll," his eyes flickered, thinking of the liquid heat he produced, the determination, "fire. Accurate, impressive, gruesome-"

"Gruesome," the Thalmor seemed to test the word and found it fitting, "what else?"

"Strong..- smooth, graceful," Revyn coughed, "antsy. Please, I don't-"

"He seems favourable of you," Eracelmo cut him off, "Do you think he cares enough to come and save you?

"What?" Revyn blinked at him, the Thalmor inclining his head.

"I think I was speaking perfectly clearly, Revyn," and hearing his name fall from this Thalmor's mouth felt absolutely _vile,_ "I asked if you believed he will come and save you?"

"I don't-" Revyn struggled with his words, feeling flustered and entirely ill and- " _I don't know_. Maybe? What are these questions, he..-he doesn't know where I am, he doesn't- we argued. I _yelled_ at him. The deer-"

"Focus," Eracelmo reached forward, gingerly capturing the dark elf's jaw between his thumb and forefinger, "you believe your keeper would abandon you?"

Revyn felt trapped, like a rat caught in a cage; " _no_ -"

"and how could he?" he smiled then, and Revyn couldn't shrink back fast enough, "You have a very sweet face, Revyn. I can see why he likes it so much."

Revyn's eyes hardened, illicting a pleased chuckle. Shifting comfortably, he continued, "Tell me about his Shouts."

"He doesn't yell," Revyn murmured, confused, "he doesn't even get angry often-"

"His Shout."

"He doesn't shout-?" Revyn shifted again, attempting to dislodge Eracelmo's hold on him, "get _off_ of me-!"

The Thalmor forced Revyn to look at him, his expression unreadable other than a minor twitch between his brows. "Tell me about the Dragonborn."

Revyn startled, confused, "Uh- he, what? Incredible, I guess?" Revyn recalled back to what Galvorn told him before the whole Sovengarde business when it dawned on him; the Thalmor were searching carts along the roads and were trying to hunt down the Dragonborn - well, alongside a number of things. Maybe they realized Galvorn had traveled with him - maybe it was easier to go after a non-combatant to use as leverage, he didn't know; "powerful," he said, searchingly, "a-a god among men, unparalleled in a fight, savior of Tamriel.. uh, dragon slayer-"

"Tell me, Revyn," a thumb brushed over his lower lip and the dark elf flinched, "Why would the Dragonborn care about a little thing like you?"

There was an impossibly loud boom from somewhere far away before Revyn could even process what had been said to him, echos ricocheting against the lonely halls that dove directly towards them.

_Zun Haal Viik_

The two Thalmor on his flank startled, but the one with the grip on his jaw didn't even blink, turning Revyn's head side to side, seeming to examine him.

"Seem's someone _does_ care, then." Revyn didn't know if he was talking about Galvorn or the Dragonborn, despite having never met the Dragonborn a day in his life. The Thalmor looked up to his subordinates, nodding. They moved past without a word, decending the long sprawling staircase until they vanished from sight.

"What are his weaknesses, then?" Eracelmo examined him a long moment, thumb brushing against Revyn's jaw who couldn't yank free, "What would crush him?" hand slotting against his throat-

_Gaan Lah Haas_

There were shouts drumming from so far away, screaming-

"I don't _know-!_ " Revyn looked at him with confused horrified eyes, "I've never _met_ the Dragonborn, what is with these-"

The Thalmor's mouth split into a grin, sharp, killing off whatever Revyn was going to say at the very sight of it. He looked.. unnatural- almost as if invisible fingers tugged at the edges, pulling them up and the immense sense of unease it gave off was terrifying. A sound bubbled from the base of his throat, and the harsh abruptness of it almost didn't register to Revyn as laughter.

It shook his shoulders, dropping on his knees as if knocked to them. Eyes wide, dark, looking at Revyn with such delight, as another clash happened somewhere down the way; approaching with furious shouts and metal clashing against the stone. Another strange boom of noise came after - _Yol Toor Shul_ \- and like a dam, the Thalmor spilled into a fit of hysteria. 

Revyn tried yanking away, voice spilling in wild mutters he tried to mute but couldn't, panic fueling him further as whatever was out there was coming closer and he was at the mercy of -

The Thalmor smiled brightly at him, almost giddy, another cry, somewhere closer; he pressed both hands on either side of Revyn's face, fingers too intimate against the base of his ears.

_Fus Ro Dah_

Just outside-

"It's almost better this way," he said then, pleased, bright yellow eyes growing hooded, "If you die he'll be forced to head to the Embassy again. They're expecting him."

" _No_ -!" Fear fell from lips, scattered pleas and terror gripped him, trying to kick out his legs, struggling against the hold _but_ \- The Thalmor slipped one hand against the back of his head, snagging his hair and yanking his head back.

Revyn cried out, terrified, seeing the glimmer of polished steel appear from Eraclemo's sleeve, slotting into the palm of his captor's hand, the flash of a dagger. He watched in stunned horror as he plunged the weapon down without warning before an arrow burst through from the back of his head.

The dagger sliced down, missing his chest but still slashing into his shoulder.

Blood sprayed his face in a sudden gruesome mist, the Thalmor crumpling in a heap before him, where now, at the base of the stairs he could see someone standing with their bow still drawn.

A woman rushing in behind him.

Revyn couldn't really feel the stab wound yet, his brain not catching up, heart pounding so loudly in his ears as he dropped from his knees, collapsing on his rear with his legs folded against the side of his hips. He saw the figures below rush forward but his eyes were drawn to the corpse, his breath coming in short and fast. Warm hands found his face again, a flushed freckled face obscuring his view but he couldn't focus, even as he was pulled into arms that felt familiar, face pressed against someone's shoulder, and it wasn't until he breathed in the smell of worn leather and fresh pine that his shoulders started shaking.

There were more hands against his arms, separate hands, cutting against his leather binds; he couldn't tell if he was laughing or sobbing or some horrible mix between, but there were fingers smoothing down his hair; Gal's voice was soft against his cheek, pressing his mouth wherever he could reach, ' _it's okay_ 's and ' _I'm here_ 's like a prayer against his skin and- and..-

He almost died.

The strain on his arms lessened as the leather was being cut through, the pain in his shoulder grew further and further into an unbearable sting, his sleeve soaked and hot.

" _It hurts-"_ his voice was wrecked, and it was as if Galvorn just couldn't hold him tight enough; Gal breathed something against his hair, and Revyn didn't know if it was encouragement or an apology before Gal dipped his head down, smashing their mouths together. His fingers threaded through the hair on the back of the dark elf's head, and it was then Revyn noticed Gal's hands against the stab wound before an intense pain shot through his arm; white-hot and Galvorn muffled the ensuing scream with his mouth, Revyn surging forward before the pain turned to warmth that enveloped the area. Revyn pulled away with a weak groan, teeth clenched, head falling to Gal's shoulder as he tried to look at the damage, only to see the glow of Galvorn's hand die down, the shirt torn and soaked in blood but no deep gash in sight.

Words bubbled under his breath, feeling delirious and close to vomiting, cheeks wet and full of heat but the last strap was cut, releasing him fully from the series of binds. He didn't even rub at the rawness of his wrists before just surging forward again, pulling Galvorn in to smash their mouths back together.

He didn't taste of anything, but his mouth was receptive and all the fear and anger and anxiety he suffered spilled through. Galvorn was absolutely trembling, and it was so comforting knowing his cheeks weren't the only ones that were wet. Arms strong and sure around the dunmer, holding him with the horrible realization if he'd been a moment longer he would be holding a corpse. Revyn wasn't thinking about any of that, he was, quite frankly, trying not to think about anything. Galvorn pulled away, startled back by the strong taste of sulfur against Revyn's tongue.

Whatever he was going to say died in his throat as he felt Revyn's hand's cup his cheeks, thumbs wiping away blood and tears alike.

"I'm sorry," Galvorn sniffed, "Revyn I-"

"Galvorn." the wood elf looked up towards Lydia who picked something up from the stone, noting the white bottle with distaste. The shape and shade was familiar, but it took a long moment to connect the taste of sulfur to what he was seeing before him. Gal blinked, looking down at Revyn confused.

"I drank something," Revyn breathed, dragging the base of one of his palm's to wipe at his cheeks, "nasty, bitter, acidic, and I-" he started coughing, sounded hoarse. Gal pressed his hand against the space between his shoulder blades but Revyn waved him off, shaking his head with a gasp. "S-surface thoughts," he breathed, "I have a hard time not speaking surface thoughts. Fighting..- fighting it hurts."

"S'just like them," Lydia smashed the vial against the stone, " _Fuck's sake_. I don't know how long it'll take to wear off."

"A while," Galvorn replied, his voice grim. Inclining his head toward's the dunmer, he looked him over. "Revyn, are you okay?"

Revyn made a noise, unaffirming.

Lydia stepped away to examine the path leading from the platform, presumably sweeping the area to prevent any unpleasant surprises.

Galvorn rested on his knees before him, "I know you can't control it. We can wait this out, just.. talk to me, are you okay?"

Revyn let his hands fall to his lap with a huff; "I don't know, I'm-" his thoughts were going too fast for his mouth to pick any of it up, "just- scared. What the hell was I thinking walking out my front door," he looked down at his hands, he couldn't stop them from shaking. "I think they grabbed me because they wanted to get to you."

The wood elf looked ill, but Revyn continued; "He- he asked a lot of questions, about me and- and Windhelm, about you, about.. well, the Dragonborn." Revyn was staring at his hands and did not see the look that flashed across Galvorn's face. Took his silence as a quiet invitation to continue, "I think they know you worked with him."

The exhale came then and Gal pulled the dunmer to him with a shaky sigh.

"I'm sorry," his voice was so quiet it was a complete wonder that Revyn even heard it, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, "I never meant to put you in danger."

"I'm sorry I walked off the way I did," Revyn hummed, trying to force the fear coiled in his belly to dissipate, "I really.. _really_ wanted to prove to you I can handle myself out here and somehow proved the very opposite and I'm _embarrassed_ -"

"You were barely ten feet away from me," Galvorn said then against his hair, running his fingers through as if he'd never get another chance, "I didn't.. I didn't hear anything. I've been doing this for _years_ and I didn't hear them grab you. You have nothing to be embarrassed for, _I'm_ embarrassed. I'm _mortified_. I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and you still got taken."

"I could never be angry with you for breaking a promise you could never keep anyways," Revyn blinked, "I'm just.. I'm so happy I got to see you again. There was some strange echo coming down the hall, and there was talk about an Embassy? He seemed convinced I knew anything worth knowing."

"You know plenty of thing's worth knowing," Galvorn replied, pressing a kiss against his temple.

"Like you." Where did that come from? Revyn pulled back a little, growing increasingly aware of the fact he still cannot control his speech when Galvorn, in his tired way, beamed at him.

Revyn felt something bubble in his throat and he was in a clear enough state of mind to slam his palm on his mouth when it came out. 

_oh no_

Galvorn eyed him, hearing the muffle against skin, watching amused as Revyn ran his other hand through the front of his hair in agitation.

"If you're going to think about me out loud I'd love to hear it."

Revyn frowned at that, letting his hand drop, "I'm sure you would," he ran his palms over the front of his dirty pants, "but I don't _know_ what I'm going to accidentally admit and I'm sure whatever it is will be horrible like you finding out I'm in lo-" Revyn coughed _hard._ Jolting up to stand, trying to dislodge his thoughts to keep from saying them, but Galvorn was already on his feet, looking at the dunmer with interest as Revyn aimlessly chewed on his words like tar.

Oh, he _hated_ this.

He was an expert wordsmith, now riddled with a loose tongue; this was an absolute nightmare scenario. Faced with Galvorn's eager expression and trying to choke down the words bubbling up, because it didn't matter if he felt it or knew it was true, actually _saying_ it was mortifying; and if he stopped coughing or stopped biting his tongue with enough force to bleed then he was going to say something regrettable.

"Oh come now," Galvorn seemed grateful enough for a way to get their mind off of what happened; fully focused on the fact that Revyn was before him, breathing, embarrassed, entirely alive and safe, and that he _really_ wanted to hear the rest of that sentence. "I did just save your life, Revyn. Now is usually the time to announce your favor, if you have any."

"Gal I almost died, is now really the time to stroke your ego?"

Galvorn relented with a semi-dramatic sigh, but whether fortunate or otherwise, Revyn was incapable of stopping himself from speaking; "I almost died. I almost got killed," he looked at the body of the Thalmor, still laying in a heap, "he had such a horrible laugh. Kept touching my face. Jaw, throat - I don't know what he wanted out of me, I don't know what it was he needed to ask that was so important because his questions made no sense. Asked a lot about Windhelm. Cold bitter awful place."

Galvorn stepped forward, "only good part about Windhelm was you, I think."

Revyn looked a little far away, tired, but the edge of his mouth quirked up, distracted. "It seems rather silly for some of my favourite memories to be you sleeping in my chair," Gal smiled faintly at that, "I use to wake up sometimes, usually if some part of me couldn't remember whether or not I locked up the front door and I'd hear that belligerent drunk doing his nightly routine. Just.. I'd see you sleeping there, and it just made me feel safe, and I wouldn't check the door."

Galvorn watched him, seeming to consider something before finally just walking forward, pulling Revyn to him again. "I don't think that's silly."

"Of course _you_ wouldn't," Revyn said then, glancing down at his wrists for the first time to examine the damage, "this looks.. awful."

"When I'm able to replenish my magic stores, I can heal those for you."

"You're sweet," Revyn hummed, letting himself be pulled in, resting his head against Gal's chest. There was a throb behind his eyes, and he realizes he's having an adrenaline crash, saying so under his breath.

Galvorn hummed at that, a faint tired thing of his own after the day they each had. Pressing his palm against the dunmer's cheek, who leaned into the touch with a sigh, "You're wonderful," Revyn said against the leather, "you feel like home and I adore every moment I spend with you and-" Revyn groaned loudly, but the words kept coming, "and if it's coming out I guess I can excuse anything weird I might say with the notion I don't have a choice, but even though this happened I'm still happier almost being killed in a crypt somewhere than dying the slow dreadful way I was back in Windhelm."

"Well I'd prefer we not have a repeat of this."

"I agree." Revyn looked up at the wood elf, "Still. Point stands. Saying thoughts out loud is so much more disorganized than just thinking them and I hate it, and this place smells like dust but I've never been happier to see someone in my life than I am seeing you. How dreadful, to die with my last sight being some delusional high elf? The arrow was horrific and I can feel the blood on my face drying and I am _so_ tired but this..- this is nice."

Galvorn was regarding him with such mirth, enjoying the absurd pattern of speech for as long as it will last until the concoction fades. Revyn pushed some of Galvorn's loose strands of hair behind his ear, regarding him a long moment.

"I'd let you do anything you wanted to me if I got to see your face every day."

It took a moment for that comment to register with the wood elf, feeling a distinct twitch of Revyn's fingers, a flush rising to his cheeks, brows pinched. Gal opened his mouth, but his brain couldn't connect and instead of words he made a breathy sound, almost like a chuckle but it was difficult to say.

"That was too forward," Revyn reeled, "but you _are_ very charming and I'm incredibly taken by you and - by the _Divines_ be quiet, Just, I- how.. how do you clear your thoughts? Is there a spell for that? A potion?"

"You might be thinking of wine," Gal took inventory of the minor bruise against the dunmer's temple.

"I didn't think to bring any," Revyn replied, almost mournfully, "would it be called dependence if I said I needed some because of the day I had? Is it better if I just said I wanted some? Do they have that wine I like where we're heading?"

"In Solitude? Absolutely."

"Wonderful, I'm drinking a bottle by myself when we get there and sleeping for several weeks."

Galvorn nodded along absently, "I should probably stock up on blankets when we get there, then. They sell some really thick quilts down the corner from the entrance that I've only seen in their display windows. I've never had a reason to get any before."

"The blankets I had at home were impossibly threadbare." Revyn sighed, "we really tried piling two people in a single bed like that. You're so tall, it was a miracle you were able to fall asleep like that."

"I'd argue it was only hard getting in. Once you fell asleep you aways ended up half on top of me so I had plenty of space then."

"I did _not._ "

Galvorn beamed at him, "You are the _clingiest_ person I have ever had the pleasure of sharing a bed with, and _I_ use to have my youngest sister come into my room as a kid with nightmares."

"You never talk about your family," but Galvorn deflected with a shrug.

"There's not much to discuss." He looked Revyn over, glancing about to see where Lydia had wandered off to before quickly spotting her a little further off to the side, near the base of the stairs and working on a lock to a chest. He returned his attention to Revyn again, his voice dropping a bit private, "I _would_ like to discuss that comment earlier when you said you'd be okay with letting me have my way with you."

"I'd like to talk about this when I'm _not_ in the perpetual process of speaking every single thought that comes to the forefront of my mind." Revyn huffed, "Although I feel like it should have been obvious considering I left everything I created for myself behind for you. I let you stay in my shop after hours, we shared a bed frequently-"

"I'd argue it is absolutely _not_ obvious," Gal encircled Revyn's waist with his arms, "I fully believe you can wait until we get married before you ever let me slip under the layers you wear, but I also fully believe you don't want to do that."

Revyn almost responded.

It was obvious Galvorn wanted to hear him say something in all ways incriminating, pushing and pulling and being forward and maybe Revyn hadn't been fully obvious with his intent; maybe he pulled back too hard, maybe he said some things a little colder than necessary, maybe he assumes that while his touches may seem significant to him, it's only base level in Galvorn's culture. He didn't know, he didn't really even know how he fully felt about that particular comment. He didn't know what he wanted, didn't know how to give Galvorn what _he_ wanted either, did it really only lead to sex? Was he denying himself something fruitlessly, off some weird notion he was dirty if he tried? Did it actually make him dirty? Did he think less of Galvorn knowing he's had some experience in the past? The short answer was, obviously, no. The long answer he didn't have time to really think about.

None of it came out; well, rather, it did. Against the palm of Galvorn's hand. 

"We'll talk when you can," he said then, "I want you to visualize a dog. Can you do that?"

Revyn blinked, before slowly nodding.

Galvorn removed his hand, "tell me what it looks like."

Revyn did as he was told, describing size and shape, fur colour and coat thickness as Gal pulled something from his pack, shuffling through unseen item after item until he pulled some hood free. Looking at the weak stitchings along the seams before yanking, pulling it apart.

Revyn stopped describing the dog to ask what Galvorn was doing when the cloth was offered to him.

"You know I adore you, right?" Revyn pulled the cloth over his mouth before he could answer, attempting a knot best he could. Galvorn turned his shoulder a bit to look at his handiwork before nodding, "I know you're private, and I'm never sure if I'm going too far. I want to make sure you know that you never have to tell me what you're not ready for me to hear, even if I want to hear it. We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Revyn was thankful. They heard heavy steps approaching from the base of the stairs, turning to look at Lydia who was holding a few familiar items in her hands.

"Oh good," Galvorn took some of the load, "where were they stored?"

"Chest," she turned Revyn's sword over in her hand, "most of his things were down there, I don't know if anything is missing."

"I'm sure it's fine," Revyn accepted his things back gladly, brushing away helpful hands so he could redo the leather straps himself. Lydia cracked her fingers.

"Coast seems clear too," she added, pointing to the path to the side, "there's a room back there that leads to a hall. I saw a lever and figured it was the way out."

Gal nodded, pulling his bow from his back before heading towards their exit; Revyn made to follow, but a hand against the crook of his elbow stopped him short. Lydia watched as Gal slipped down the path, carefully looking the walls over before slipping through. Revyn looked to her, confused, but she leveled him with a look.

"Are you okay?" Revyn felt the answer slip past his lips but they were blocked by the mouth-covering and Lydia waved it off, "nod, shake your head, I don't care. Are you _actually_ okay?"

Revyn looked towards the exit Galvorn vanished behind, eyes dragging to the body not too far away. He shook his head.

Lydia nodded, "yeah, no I figured." she sniffed, "listen, Gal and I take our thick skin for granted sometimes. We've been doing this shit a long time before we ever met each other and we have both been traveling a while as a pair. We deal with.. these things differently, and while I'm not.. I'm not very good at checking up on people, I-" Lydia shifted a bit uncomfortably, frowning, "I don't want you to think Gal was the only one worried, okay?"

Revyn regarded her a long moment, surprised, when Lydia eventually huffed, "I'm not.. really into heart to hearts. I'm glad you're alright."

Revyn went to respond before stopping, grabbing the part of the cloth hugging the bridge of his nose, pulling it down to say; "I don't really know how to deal with any of what just happened," he paused, "It could have easily been much worse, and at the end of the day I'm not.. well, dead. I'm sure when you each are through with me and I.. I guess know what I'm doing out here, this'll be some funny far away story we can laugh about later."

Lydia snorted at that, Revyn pulling the cloth over his mouth again. Lydia went to pat his arm before hesitating over where the gash use to be, "alright, well. If you need to blow steam, just say something. Plenty of awful shit can happen the further we travel, so don't hold back."

Revyn glanced at his feet a moment before nodding. Satisfied, Lydia pat his shoulder before heading towards where Gal slipped away. Revyn followed, trying to ignore the knot that's settled in his stomach. There was a moment where the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and for some inexplicable reason, he glanced back towards the body of the Thalmor; blood pooled against the stone, filling the cracks as it descended down the steps in a slow trickle.

The feeling went away.

Whatever was falling from his lips was swallowed by the cloth, looking back towards Lydia, ignoring the numbness that's settled, he picked up his pace.

Lydia strangely, he noted, peaked through the archway before continuing forward, vanishing to the left. Revyn reached it moments later, stepping into a short narrow hall that branched into a wider cavern. Lydia was walking towards the far end, noting the lever on the far wall when he spotted Galvorn standing on a strange platform a little ahead. He was rubbing his face, some soft glow about him for a split second that seemed to fade when Revyn approached.

He was looking at some wall, deep sharp script scrolled along the curve of it. Watching in interest as Gal brushed his fingers over two of the letters before stepping away, clearly finished with examining it for the time. His eyes found Revyn when he heard the scuff of shoes against stone, giving him a tired smile.

"I found the way out," Lydia called before Revyn could ask what the wall was about, Galvorn reaching his hand out absentmindedly towards the dark elf as he went to follow. Revyn eyed the stone only a moment longer, noting the strange dragon iconography before taking Galvorn's arm, and leaving without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thats on Lydia having scouted forward, saw the word wall, and knew to stall Revyn to let Gal do that thing he does. I do wonder sometimes if the DB is the only one who sees and hears the word wall the way its shown or if its like that outwardly when it senses a DB near, and everyone can just see this happen. Dunno, gonna pretend anyone can see it happen unless Todd breaks into my house and puts me in a choke hold.
> 
>  _Zun Haal Viik_ : Disarm.  
>  _Gaan Lah Haas_ : Drain Vitality.  
>  _Yol Toor Shul_ : Fire Breath.  
>  _Fus Ro Dah_ : Unrelenting Force.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My problem is I've already come up with the premise for a sequel to this fic that I want to write _so badly_ but I need to finish this fic first before I get to it. As an aside, I am so appreciative of the comments and support, I'm having such a fun time writing this story and these two - Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Near-death experiences were _suffocating._

Rather, the response to something along that particular vein has the people around you _become_ suffocating.

Revyn was _fine._ His marks were healed, Galvorn made absolutely sure of it; no aches, not even a little bit of scarring. The only sign that he had ever been abducted _whatsoever_ was the tear on the shoulder of his shirt, the bloodstains impossible to scrub out though he tried. It was just.. it was the way Gal's eye instinctively flickered to it, the way his gaze was pointedly drawn each and every time Revyn spoke to him, no matter how well Galvorn attempted to hide it and it was just driving Revyn up the damned _wall_. That's not even to start on the issue of the hands that just never went away; it wasn't even just Galvorn tugging him left and right, Lydia was equally grabbing at him as they walked. On his shoulder, the crook of his elbow, small of his back. Galvorn would oftentimes even grab him by the hand and not let go for _hours._

Sleep was another matter entirely, waking up numerous times in the night to push and attempt to squeeze out from a heavy slumbering body attempting to smother him, and it _really_ wasn't just Galvorn.

Nothing he did seemed to settle them.

Not training harder, not sticking close, even directly and explicitly telling Galvorn he wasn't going to push about taking night watch. They kept him close to the fire, they surrounded him, tugged at him, and if he has _one more_ hand snag his elbow to direct him he's going to start throwing punches.

It took a fair day or two for the serum to well and truly evacuate his system, on the other hand. Which was unfortunate as travel was getting rougher this deep in the mountains and it was incredibly difficult to breathe through a thick piece of cloth; but, he had no control over his words and they required quiet often as they traversed through the thicket. It was, fortunately, a pleasant surprise once the second day came rolling to an end with the three of them by the fire when he realized he hadn't spoken in quite some time, pulling the knot-free a bit hesitantly to test the waters and finally get some air: nothing came out, and he laughing a bit relieved. Galvorn had been beside him when he did so, and kissed him then while his cheeks were a little flushed from the constant heat pressed against his face and while his breath still smelled strongly of sulfur, but Galvorn didn't seem to care and Revyn was able to properly eat without having to focus so entirely on it.

They didn't bring up what was said, back in the ruins. Revyn not fully sure whether or not Galvorn had simply forgotten, or if it just hadn't been a good enough time to discuss it, so for the time being he simply left it be.

From the grassy meadows to the ice-capped north, they traveled. 

They came across only a few more bumps on the road since the kidnapping, but Revyn's reflexes have improved from a mixture of practice and paranoia. A few bandits here and there, bears, and wolves and the occasional troll. Skyrim was crawling with all sorts of unpleasant beasts, but Galvorn insisted that the further North they were, the creatures could be handled. It brought up plenty of uncomfortable questions of the South, but Galvorn didn't say, and Revyn didn't ask.

Not when the temperature was rapidly dropping, and they had more things to worry about than beasts in the wild.

Revyn could handle bitter temperatures, but at least in Windhelm he had a fire to keep most of it at bay.

They were traveling across rocky terrain, trekking through stone cliffs with ice infused from years of snowstorms that never melted, slick from centuries of sharp wind that smoothed its edges and made walking a chore. Balance was difficult, but it was still preferable to the journey eventually dipping into thick snow that reached their upper thighs, soaking through the lack of adequate layers, Revyn dragging behind as both Galvorn and Lydia carved out a path in the snow with their legs, but it only helped in the sense his legs ached less than theirs by the time they eventually had to make camp, calling it in early for the night when Galvorn stumbled, face flushed and out of breath.

There was no safe alcove for them to camp and hide in most nights. The wind along the flat icey planes making a campfire impossible, paired with the sort of work required of them to move in this desolate frigid wasteland meant everyone needed as much sleep as they could get.

Galvorn was exhausted, so much so Revyn was actually growing worried he was going to collapse. The wood elf insisted he was fine, that he just needed to sit down, but his cheeks were wind burned and Lydia chewed him out something fierce about not allowing her to take lead so that he could give himself rest from pushing miles of snow out of the way. The pair of them forcing Gal to stay seated while they figured out camp for the night where they ended up.

It was Lydia's idea; cut out a spot in the snow, use it as insulation as they bury the tent as low as possible before she looked between her two shivering companions, suggesting with a bit of concern they use body heat to keep each other warm. Lydia expressed she was only going to join in if needed, but Nord blood ran hot, and she was fine on her own. The worry was placed firmly with the elves, and they learned quickly that meant stripping down to base layers, otherwise, they would lose heat rapidly.

Revyn tried to keep his expression neutral when Lydia was explaining this, using the heel of her boot to slam down the final peg of the tent into the ground. Galvorn seemed unbothered and even feigned hurt when Lydia specifically requested he keep the cuddling strictly clean, as she was going to be pretty close to either of them and she wasn't going to put up with listening or be present for gross shit.

Revyn had decided then to slip inside the tent and not listen to whatever retort Galvorn came up with, playing off his embarrassment as he made an effort to brush off as much snow from his clothes as possible, mournful of how wet his pants had become as it clung to his thighs before the small space was quickly crowed by two more people. These tents were not made for a size more than one person with a little wake-up room, so they were all fairly snug. Revyn quickly noticed he was sat in the middle as Lydia went to her far side, as far as it would allow anyways, blanket already out and focuing on untangling the knots on her boots, fairly confident they were safe enough she wouldn't need them.

Revyn, on the other hand, watched as Galvorn pulled some of his thicker clothes free from his pack; Revyn accepted them gladly, setting them aside as Galvorn only briefly hesitated on his clasps. Being without armour in the wild was foolish and dangerous, but his eyes snapped briefly to Lydia, and as he noted she was still fully dressed in her furs and metals, he let his hands work their way around the leather straps, undoing chest peice and gauntlet alike until he was completely down in his underclothes. There were some blood stains and dirt on the sections of cloth that were not fully encased in plates, but Galvorn didn't stop there.

Fingers dipped down towards the snow soaked bottom hem of his shirt, and it struck Revyn then he had never seen Galvorn with his shirt off. It was a knee jerk reaction to avert his gaze as soon as he saw a sliver of pale skin, pointedly returning his attention to undoing the knot in his boots as Galvorn seemed to successfully pull the cloth free and toss it back in his bag. Revyn actively forced down the heat beginning to spread in the back of his neck and ears as he slowly fumbled with clasps of his own.

He hesitated with removing his own shirt, looking at Galvorn from his peripheral as he noticed him piling on both of their separate blankets as insulation, grabbing something else from his pack and tossing it under the pile when he heard his name hummed and Revyn glanced up at him.

Galvorn was already under the covers, head propped up on the palm of his hand with his other outstretched before him.

"Don't think about it too much _varbaril_ ," he said a bit low, as to not disturb Lydia who's breath had already begun to even out, well worn out by the day, "I'll keep my hands above the waist, but I can't have you freeze to death."

Revyn realized with embarrassment that he wasn't even worried about _Galvorn_ being the one to keep his hands to himself. He said nothing, instead nodding briefly, tugging his shirt from his person and tried not to think about it further.

It was notably cold in the tent, but not nearly to the degree it had been outside; breath in foggy clouds from their lips where at least in here it was only a faint puff. Revyn slipped closer, feeling hands slip against his sides as Galvorn pulled him in as soon as he was within arms reach. 

Galvorn's fingertips were the only cold things about him, as he pulled the covers around their shoulders, burying themselves before wrapping his arms around the dunmer tightly.

Revyn could only make out what he felt, as it was relatively dark in the tent, but as he tucked his hands between their bodies, his knuckles brushed against a soft trail of hair that led down to the bosmer's waistband. With Gal's hands pressed both against his shoulder blades and the back of his neck, he was positive the wood elf felt the sudden spike in his heartbeat, silently thanking the divines after a moment when he didn't comment on it. Galvorn adjusted his legs, lifting the one on top to hook Revyn's, and before they settled they were as pressed together as possible; while elves don't run too hot, Galvorn was very warm regardless, and Revyn buried himself against him as close as he would allow until his propriety admonished him for improper behavior.

He hadn't realized how truly cold he had been. Revyn buried his face against the wood elf's chest, seeking warmth and finding it pressed at the base of his throat. Revyn huffed, feeling pouring slowly back into some of his limbs, nose rubbed a bit raw and fingers numb.

Galvorn was strangely stiff, as the dunmer curled in closer. Revyn brushed it off as the cold, considering he was fairly tense as well, until he adjusted his hips to lay a bit more comfortably; the ground here was horribly uneven and something under the tent was digging into his side, his leg entangled between Galvorn's as he moved it up a little in his shifting, warm between mostly bare thighs. He heard the soft sharp inhale above him where Galvorn had buried his face against his hair, his fingers against his neck seeming to tense a fraction.

Revyn didn't move for a long moment.

_Oh_.

He wasn't sure what caused him to proceed the way he did, suddenly very aware of how he was laying and where they were touching; whether it was just out of exhausted curiosity or something else he wasn't willing to admit, he stretched out his arms from their curled position between their bodies, and with a silent breath, he groggily wrapped his arms around Galvorn's middle. Revyn justifying it to himself that they'd be warmer more flushed against one another anyway, pulling their torso's flush, and when his hips connected he heard the muffled gasp in his hair the split second he felt -

Galvorn snapped the hand that was on the dunmer's shoulder blades to his waist, only barely pushing it back to disconnect what minor friction he had caused, breathing quiet but shaky as he used his other hand to slip down and grab the dunmer by the chin. Revyn startled when Galvorn upturned his head, clearly giving the dunmer a sharp _look_ that was muted by the shadows in the tent, " _don't be mean_ ," he whispered, clearly a little embarrassed but unable to do anything about it.

Revyn looked up at him with amusement, reaching up to cup Gal's cheek before pulling him down into what was supposed to be a brief kiss. It was supposed to be a minor apology, as it was the easiest means without talking or even directly apologizing for actions he wouldn't even know where to begin to explain.

Gal seemed only vaguely startled, but eagerly met his mouth with restrained want, his arm still wrapped around the dunmer pulling him just a little closer, when there seemed to be a moment where neither really pulled away; and another moment when they each realized it. The hand still cupping Revyns cheek brushed back to intertwine through the hair at the base of his head, their mouths parting just barely. It was so hard to see, but he could just make out the glint of blown-out hooded eyes looking down at him.

Revyn wasn't thinking.

Between weeks of harsh travel, intense training, and scraping by with their lives..- there was something about the closeness he needed, why he didn't pull away like he should have when Galvorn pulled him into another kiss. When he felt the brush of a tongue against his lips, Revyn felt heat flood his belly and his mouth parted instinctually. Clearly neither one of them was expecting it, as vague memories of once being pressed against his merchant counter caused little tremours in his thighs that had nothing to do with the cold. Galvorn was holding back, but the hand against his waist that once held him at bay was now squeezing. Grip pressing against the base of his leg before hiking up his thigh, and without warning, tugged him down and their hips connected.

Galvorn was _distinct_.

Revyn stopped breathing, otherwise, he would have made a _very loud_ sound and he was still painfully aware of their sleeping companion not too far away. Galvorn had no such trouble, but Revyn could feel his pulse pick up and his breathing stutter; his thoughts so far away between the intense heat pooling between his thighs caused by the sudden friction and the kiss Gal has well and truly dominated. His hand brushed around the dunmer's thigh, fingertips trailing along the waistband just beneath his belly; Revyn's breath caught the moment Galvorn slipped down to-

Lydia made a sound in her sleep, abruptly halting whatever it was that started to happen. Galvorn's hands were still on his hips, and after a moment when they were sure she wasn't awake, Gal pulled Revyn down for one last kiss before sighing shakily against his cheek.

" _We should go to bed_ ," Revyn whispered, somehow sounding level despite how quickly his heart was racing. He really almost-

" _You're right_ ," Galvorn replied airily against his cheek, and after a drawn-out moment, he dragged his hands back up to wrap around him again, clearly making a point of forcing his hands up, " _Being so close to you is not suppose to be this difficult._ "

If Revyn's cheeks could get any hotter, they would. He pressed a kiss against the base of Galvorn's ear as it was the easiest place he could reach, " _Hardly any different than when we've slept beside each other in the past._ "

" _You had more clothes on then,_ " but Galvorn has a mild smile in his voice, seeming to focus on not thinking about it, " _besides, sometimes just being near you is enough. I'm not always thinking about sex, you know_."

" _Then don't think about it now, and let's get some sleep_." Galvorn made a weak groaning noise at that but complied. It took some readjusting and Galvorn grabbing a thicker shirt to throw between their hips to prevent anymore indecency, eventually, reluctantly, they fell into a fretful sleep.

Revyn didn't want to acknowledge the sort of dreams he had that particular night.

Sunlight yawned the morning into their little tent, with Revyn the last to wake with a fully redressed and armoured Galvorn gently rousing him to dress and eat. They didn't talk about last night, and Galvorn didn't even playfully gawk as Revyn pushed the covers away to get his clothes back on.

The following few days followed along much the same. Cold, bitter, uneventful, clinging for heat and pretending like he didn't ache with arms wrapped around him or how familiar and safe and use to all of it he's become. It never went anywhere. It wasn't _supposed_ to go anywhere. It was just... _so infuriating_ that he kept feeling like it could when he knew better.

Why was it a chore to keep his arms folded between them and his hands to himself? Where were all these mixed feelings coming from after having no problems for so many years? It's not like this was the first time they ever woke curled together before, what made this any different? Why couldn't he sleep without his thoughts drifting to more unsavory thoughts?

Why was it so important to him?

It was troubling that the excuses he use to repeat simply didn't apply anymore.

Nobody was holding him accountable except himself. No looking over his shoulder, no one regarding his behavior with a critical eye. Just him; just him and his flimsy suffocating principles that feel so wildly unattainable that thinking about them throws him into such a sour mood.

He doesn't know if he's clinging because of pride at this point. If this is just what happens when you've wasted your formative years taking orders from elders out of some misplaced need to be accepted and useful after having lost every ounce of home he had left.

They had their traditions, their rules, their rituals. Following them was suppose to bring them all closer to the homes now in ruins and buried under miles of ash. All it did was make him bitterly realize he was so far disconnected with all of it. Struggling to justify if perhaps he really believed in the ideals instilled in him, or if he was going to finally admit a sexually oppressive upbringing was damaging and he needed to let it go.

Revyn ran his palm against Galvorn's chest, listening to the steady rise and fall as he breathed. 

Did he really want Galvorn or did he just want someone to touch him? If he was so far gone at this point was he even sure if he could tell the difference?

Revyn admonished the thought almost as soon as it came; if it was just a physical need he wouldn't have left home. He looked up a bit, but making out the shape Galvorn's face was difficult, drenched in shadows and fast asleep as he was; reassuring, he thinks, that Galvorn is the root, rather than the problem.

Revyn never could quite come to any satisfying conclusion before succumbing to sleep, waking to the same problems he tried to smother the night before.

The mountains they traversed by the end of that week dropped off into steep cliffs when they were setting up for camp that night. Galvorn had scouted ahead, while Revyn stayed back with Lydia to try and pick a sturdy spot to bury the sides of the tent when Gal returned with a shout.

Lydia paused with the pegs half out of the bag when he came running back up.

"We're not going to camp here," he was exuberant and out of breath, looking towards his team with a wide smile as he quickly grabbed whatever was already set down and rapidly packed back up. "Grab your things, there's something up ahead - _varbaril_ ," Gal gestured a little beyond the hilly horizon, "follow me."

Revyn blinked up at the little name, positive he was being addressed as he refastened his pack. Lydia was already moving on, her heavy steps crunching in the thick snow as the dunmer took Galvorn's hand when it was eagerly offered. The snow was still impossibly tall, so trailing behind was slow but made it somewhat manageable slipping through a path already carved. They didn't walk terribly far, several yards north and down a short cliff followed by a stark clearing that overlooked the sea. The wind was harsh, and the sky a dreary grey, but the smell of salt on the wind was distinct and familiar.

Galvorn pulled him along, his hand warm against his palm when he stooped low. Revyn followed suit, a little confused as they carefully approached a large boulder. Misshapen, noting Lydia pausing just ahead before she pulled back. Galvorn glanced over his shoulder, smiling at the dunmer when they approached it. Revyn didn't understand what he was supposed to be looking at until Galvorn brushed a hand over it, wiping away the excess snow, and underneath was metal.

Revyn blinked, confused, but Gal wasn't finished, pushing him a little forward to look past it.

Before him was a deep trench, stone-carved like homes and metal pipes.

Revyn stumbled forward, blinking as the realization dawned on him.

This was a _Dwemer ruin_.

He carelessly moved closer to the edge of the cliff, dropping to his knees to get a better look, ignoring the snag of the hand on the back of his shirt as if he would somehow slip and fall.

It was _huge._

Sun-bleached grey angular stone poked through layers of ice and snow, bronze coded metal peaking through years of neglect and abandonment, but even from this far up, Revyn could see the hints of intricate carvings and centuries of work put into its design. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it took to create something like this.

"That's..." he didn't know what to say. He thought the Nordic ruin was fascinating once they slipped out, the craftmanship beyond his understanding, but _this-!_

"This is incredible," he smiled in astonishment, looking back at Galvorn in absolute awe, "and you just.. you just _explore_ these places? Just because?"

Galvorn had a grip on the back of his Revyn's shirt, hunched behind him but there was so much affection in his face as he nodded. "You wanna check it out?"

Revyn pushed back to rest on his heels, looking at Galvorn a little wildly, "We can go _in?_ "

Gal shrugged, "Why not?" he pulled Revyn back from the edge, nodding to Lydia, "I've done some exploring here a few months back, its mostly cleared up excluding some machines but it's nothing we can't handle."

"Machines?" Revyn accepted Gal's hand gladly, "like the moving metal bits?"

Galvorn tilted his head a bit, "I know you're talking about that red orb I sold you, but that was just a part of its make, not the machine itself." Lydia was already trodding off, crouched as she overlooked the steep drop before slipping onward, "I'll show you when we get in, I think you'll like it."

Revyn smiled at that, taking one last long look at the city in its whole before dropping a bit to follow. Gal slung his arm around his shoulders, pulling him over to kiss his hairline, as Revyn said "I've only ever read about these places. I never actually thought I'd get the chance to see one in person."

"Better than you hoped?"

"Oh certainly," Revyn looked up at him warmly, "Skyrim is so much.. bigger than I thought it was."

"Well if you've spent years staying in a mile radius of one spot, the world can seem very narrow." Galvorn looked ahead, tracking Lydia as she scouted, who, after a short while gave them a little wave forward; the coast was clear. "Besides, if you liked this, you'd love Markarth. The whole city was built on top of the ruins the dwemer left behind."

Revyn chuckled, "well I look forward to seeing it one day."

The last stretch of walking went relatively smoothly. It was only a bit nerve-wracking having to slip down the stone to land on the roof of one of the towers, but Gal kept him from slipping off, and they were able to make it to a wide terrace. Galvorn approached an impossibly tall set of metallic doors, holding out a hand to keep the other two from approaching as he shortly tested its give, visibly pleased to see it push fairly easily. Revyn however noted the careful hunch in Gal's shoulders as he peeked inside, pointedly pulling the bow from his back as he stepped inside and out of sight. Lydia trudged forward after him, staying close to Sadri as she glanced through the door, pulling her sword free. Revyn pulled the sword from his hip, the hilt growing familiar as he watched her assess something through the crack, slowly following behind when she stepped through.

Lydia pushed the door quietly close behind them; Revyn took in his surroundings, feeling the rush of warmth hit him in a rolling wave of pent up heat that chased out the crack of the door before it clicked shut. The dunmer exhaled, blinking in his surroundings. Before them was a long hallway; metal pipes running through the ceiling, mesh wire plating against the edges of the ground where stale smelling steam rose from. Revyn looked around in awe at the metal lanterns somehow still alight, seeing Galvorn hunched over and carefully checking a handful of metal slots along the walls and, presumably finding nothing, relaxed. Lydia noticed Gal's nod, trailing behind slow and steady; they didn't travel terribly far, noting the strange huge moving pipes built into crafted divots, eventually leading to ruin as Galvorn paused by a space decimated by a cave in.

He whispered something at them that Lydia picked up but Revyn didn't hear, watching confused as the wood elf stashed his bow on his back before climbing up the wreckage, peeking inside a wide pipe close to the top, and climbing in. Galvorn vanished from sight, hearing Lydia's tired sigh as she sheathed her sword as well.

"Follow him, I'll be right behind you."

Revyn almost wanted to ask, but decided it was better to see for himself anyhow. Sheathing his weapon, he stepped forward, trying to watch his step and make it to the pipe. Galvorn made it look so much easier than it was, but he finally got in, looking forward at a crawl when he heard a sharp screeching clatter just ahead and the smashing of metal. He could only move so fast, and by the time he was nearly out, he watched as Galvorn landed the final arrow against this..- spider.

Metal limbs scattered with a burst of lightning, falling lifeless to the cobblestone. Galvorn was doing a quick once over before noticing Revyn pulling himself from the pipe, his feet landing on the ground with a thud; he didn't get a chance to say anything before a sharp sound of grinding gears tore him from it. From the edge of the chamber a large metallic ball came falling from a slot in the wall. Galvorn shouted for Lydia, arrow already knocked back and two already skittering across its armoured core before the ball uncoiled into a vaguely humanoid-shaped sentry. It shot a bolt at Galvorn, its other arm a spinning blade as it progressed on them quickly.

Galvorn dodged a swing, and Revyn was able to unsheath his sword quick enough to parry the next. A flash of lightning jolted from the wood elf's hands, stunning the machine just long enough for Revyn to slash against its gears, almost accidentally disrupting its machinations but it slammed its arm against his chest, throwing him to the ground. Revyn gasped, back slamming against upended stone, winded.

Lydia's feet hit the ground, madly dashing forward to stab down into the sphere. Another flash of lightning, shouting, as Revyn pushed to his feet and snagged his bow. Knocked in three arrows, landed two hits; the sphere slashing at Lydia's arm, sparks flying as it scraped against her gauntlets.

Revyn rushed forward, grabbing the hilt of his sword that had been knocked from his grip. Hardly mattered once he got close enough, another sharp jolt of electricity caused something to snap in its core and it stuttered, spinning forward before collapsing in a heap.

Galvorn's hand was still sparking before the light died down, his shoulders drawn together tightly as he took a long look around the room, clearly expecting another, and when none came, he let his hand fall to his side, exhaling.

"Everyone okay?" Lydia said after a moment, rolling her arm that'd been hit; clearly sore.

Galvorn looked at Revyn pointedly, the tension in his face melting into worry, "You got thrown, anything broken?"

Revyn sniffed but shook his head, "m'fine, think it just surprised me more than anything." he turned his attention back to the.. well, he didn't fully know what to call it. Dropping to a crouch to prod at the peculiar bits that had flown off of it when it dismantled.

Galvorn hovered only a moment longer before saying something privately to Lydia, who seemed to nod and head down the short hall they landed in. Galvorn dropped down next to him, grabbing the head of the machine and twisting it off.

"Here, look at this," Galvorn turned it in his hands, flipping it around to show Revyn a little lever, letting him flip it, which caused a part of the metal to loosen. Removing it showed a chamber with a soul gem. Galvorn plucked it out, dropping it into the dunmer's hand, "All of these machines have these in them. I hate to assume it's what's powering them, because their mechanics are well beyond me, but it's good to check all buttons when searching them. They have all sorts of hidden compartments hiding gems and crystals alike."

Revyn hummed, intrigued.

They sat there a little while longer, digging around its metal body as Galvorn explained a little bit further on the other metal inhabitants that dwell in these hall's, awaiting the return of their vanished masters, when Lydia returned.

"Coast is clear," she gestured for them to follow, "spot we were at last time looks exactly as we left it, so I don't expect any issues here forward."

"That's relieving to hear," Galvorn pushed to his feet, " _Varbaril,_ I think you're going to like this."

"I don't think I've been complaining yet," Revyn retorted, placing a few of the gems they gathered into his pack. Galvorn snorted, leading them down the hall Lydia just emerged from, where, on the right, there was another cave-in. Lydia climbed through first, one of the platforms a little up having taken the brunt of the fall and left a minor space open, just wide enough for someone to slip past. When Lydia was through, Revyn followed suit, accepting her hand as she helped pull him the rest of the way through, landing a bit uncomfortably between some upended jagged stones.

Revyn wiped the dirt from his hands on the front of his pants, looking down the hall they landed in. It wasn't very long, noting that there were four doors all along the one side, lanterns lit in rows along the opposite wall. He heard scraping of boots over debris, before the wood elf stepped up beside him, patting himself off as well. Looking over his shoulder, be tilted his head towards Lydia.

"You sure all the rooms were clear?"

Lydia was already walking down to the one on the far right. "Yeah," she replied with a shrug, "the slot they escape from is destroyed and buried under all that rubble. Dust on all the floors, I'm not worried about it."

"Where are we?" Revyn asked when Galvorn seemed satisfied enough with her answer, taking the dunmer by the arm.

"Old living quarter's," he replied, "high enough in the mountain that bandits don't like risking the cliffs and the falmer don't like being this near to the surface," Revyn followed as Galvorn called over to Lydia before she vanished behind the last door, "don't forget to lock your door."

"Goodnight you two," she waved him off, slipping into what she's claimed as her room for the night, the door clinking shut behind her.

Galvorn pushed open the door on the far left to what was presumably where they were going to hunker down for the night, letting Revyn slip pass as he closed the door behind him, twisting the deadbolt in place.

It wasn't a huge room by any means; double bed made of stone sitting center against the wall, a few metal wire dressers and shelves, a stone table off to the right, and nothing else of particular note. He walked forward, glancing up at the ever-burning blue fire in the lantern above head, curious if it could be blown out as Galvorn walked past him. Revyn settled his tired attention to the wood elf, who dropped on the edge of the bed and began pulling open his pack.

He yanked free his rolled-up blanket, clasping the leather strip that kept it together and dropping it on the stone. He laid it out for them to have something a little better than cold rock to lay on, finally collapsing down with a sigh. Revyn followed suit, dropping his pack at the foot of the bed, taking a seat on the stone stool as he fumbled with undoing the knots of his boots, hearing the collective thuds of Galvorn undressing and letting the heavier pieces drop to the floor with little care. Once both boots were kicked off, Revyn took a moment to stretch, letting his hands fall to his face as he leaned back against the edge of the table, rubbing at his eyes.

He had gotten so used to the cold, that the heat that funneled through these chambers was returning feeling in parts of his body, and the blood flood back was a little painful. Clenching and unclenching his hands, he was a bit mournful there didn't seem to be a chamber to wash up in, as river water only ever did so much. Dropping his hands to his lap, he noticed Galvorn down to his undershirt, working on the straps to his pants, and Revyn soon followed.

Leather dropped, weapons propped up, and Revyn was soon standing and pulling his own blanket free from his pack as he pointedly stopped himself from stripping down further as they had been. They didn't need to huddle for warmth, but some unfortunate part of his brain mourned the lack.

Gal dropped himself at the edge of the bed, trying to retie his hair back a bit cleaner, running his fingers through his roots as he recollected and tied it back off. Revyn watching once Galvorn was satisfied, glancing over his shoulder at him with a tired smile.

"Thoughts so far?"

Revyn pulled up his knees, leaning back against the headboard. "All over the place. You need to be more specific."

Galvorn pushed himself up a bit, scooting over to join him at the head of the bed to rest beside him. "Well you know I'd love to hear them."

Revyn snorted, "Oh we'd be here all night, then."

Galvorn grinned at that, "well, the good news is I'm here all night anyway."

"We should probably get some rest," Revyn hummed, "I'd hate to waste our first time in a bed in weeks with talking, especially when I don't know the next time we'll be in one."

Galvorn paused a moment, looking off before saying, "I think from here.. we're a few days travel left until Winterhold, I'd wager." Revyn ' _hm'_ d a bit distantly as the wood elf continued, "after that, we'll have another day and a half in the snow, and then a half week in the marshes before we reach Solitude."

"Oh," there was a pause, then "well, seem's our journey is coming to an end then."

"Only this stretch," the bosmer stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle as he lulled his head to face the dunmer, "there is still getting the house set up and you settled, your shop too if you still plan on doing that. Then once you're settled in, the goal is Riften."

"Still convinced I'm going to marry you?" Gal chuckled at that, smiling brightly.

"I don't have a single doubt, actually." he moved his hand over, letting his palm fall to the dunmer's knee, "At the very least, I fully intend to keep you around. I'll spend every day proving my worth as a feasible husband to you, even long after I expire."

"Planning on dying on me?" Revyn glanced over at him with a bemused grin.

"Never," Galvorn squeezed his leg, "I've just.. I've been thinking a great deal about the future. A fair deal more than I think I ever have."

"Anything of note?" the dunmer thrummed, his hands falling between his thighs, half for warmth and half out of uncertainty with where else to place them.

Gal smiled, "well, you, for one," he leaned to press a short kiss against the dark elf's temple, eventually sliding his arm behind him to pull him closer. Revyn let himself be tugged until his back was settled against Gal's chest, the back of his head leaning against his shoulder, arms wrapped around his middle. "I don't really know. I think I want kids."

"Really?" Revyn replied, puzzled, "you picked the worst type of partner if you wanted to start a family."

"Awe, you wouldn't want to make a baby with me?" Revyn elbowed him, Galvorn smiling amused against his hair, "I meant like, maybe adopting."

Revyn bit down his surprise; he never pegged Galvorn as being a family sort of fellow. Now, it wasn't an unpleasant surprise by any means, as Revyn was a homebody himself; he didn't necessarily even have to wonder what he'd be like as a parent. Revyn finished raising Idesa, after the death of their parents, and he thinks he did a fine job with her. She has a good head on her shoulders, kind, patient. He supposes, now that he's thinking about it, he wouldn't mind having another try, however; the only real set back would be.. well.

"If you want children, you would have to put a lot of your adventuring to the side," Revyn looked up at him, which was admittedly a little difficult given their angle, "children need a lot of stability, and considering adoption is.. well, those kids are going to have issues. Whether from still dealing with the death of their previous parents, or they were simply abandoned, they'll need a lot of attention. I've arguably had a bit of practice, but it would be better to have you with me."

Finger's brushed through his hair, letting his eyes fall close as lips pressed against the point of his ear.

Galvorn hummed a little low, thinking.

"I.." his voice dropped an octave, thoughtful, private, breath brushing along the length of Revyn's ear who actively suppressed an unwanted shudder. "I.. I would want to settle down. I've.. well, I have just a few loose ends to tie up first before we jump into adoption. I've spent years doing much of the same things. The war with the dragons, assisting guilds, traveling hold to hold, giving up my services to so many nameless faces I've lost count. I'm getting tired of always looking over my shoulder, you know? I love.. I love the idea that one day I can wake up in a home that's mine. Wake up and see you right next to me, feeling safe and unconcerned with the world outside the city gates." Galvorn paused then, rubbing his hand against the dunmer's arm, "I think I've done enough, out here. I want a home, help you with your shop, do favours for our neighbors, settle on a proper trade, and raise some children. Have something that's mine, for once."

Warmth settled; attainable dreams he thought expired in him a long time ago felt relit in his chest, as he relaxed against the wood elf. He liked the sound of that.

"We're elves," Galvorn said after a moment, "most orphans in Skyrim are Nord children. We could adopt and raise several generations of kids, you know."

"How big of a family are you expecting?" Revyn asked incredulously, a surprised little laugh hiccuping from his lips, "you sound like you're trying to raise an army."

Gal laughed at that, and the warmth of it settled in the dunmer's chest. "I'm sorry, I came from a very large brood. It's hard to imagine a family being any smaller."

Revyn looked off towards the ceiling, his eyes tracing the ever intricate spirallings of long-forgotten script. "You ever going to tell me about them, or are we going to one day have a surprise of wood elves on our doorstep?"

There was a stretch of silence that followed, long enough that Revyn had to look up and make sure Gal didn't just fall asleep on him. His eyes looked far away, mouth closing before shaking his head, meeting the dunmer's eyes.

"You'll never meet them," and the sound of his voice was a bit clipped at the edges, "There is no feasible way for them to be able to ever find us, and I'll make sure it stays that way."

Revyn shifted, looking up at him, confused, "You can't just _say_ thing's like that and then not explain."

Galvorn gave him a short smile, "It's complicated." there was a moment before he dropped his head, pressing a kiss against Revyn's temple, Gal regarding him a long moment before saying, "I'd rather not discuss this tonight if it's all the same to you."

Revyn nodded slowly, feeling like he poked an old wound. Galvorn shifted his seating again, pressing his face back into the dunmer's hair, squeezing him.

"I _would_ however like to talk about what happened a few nights ago."

"Hm, interesting, considering I would _very much_ like to avoid talking about it."

"Ah, but _varbaril,_ " Galvorn slipped a hand up, catching Revyn's chin with his thumb and forefinger, pressing a kiss against his warming up cheek, "I've never had you respond like that before," the hand that had been rubbing the dunmer's arm slipped down to grab his hand, and Revyn's fingers interlaced with his subconsciously, "I just want to know what I did so differently then that I wasn't doing before."

"Why do you keep _saying_ that?"

Gal blinked, "saying what?"

"That word, that name, what is that?"

"Avoiding answering I see," another kiss against the tip of the dark elf's ear, "and it's what you are."

"Is it suppose to be my name?" he asked, trying to and failing to suppress the shudder with Galvorn's lips pressing down the length of his ear.

"No," he hummed, another kiss, "if you want a translation, then I want to know what got you so worked up that night."

"I _hardly_ believe that's a fair trade," to which Galvorn pulled his chin up and captured his mouth. Revyn hated his inability to pull back, though he supposed that was his pride speaking and being spoken over by his need to be touched and known. Galvorn didn't make a point to make Revyn feel shameful for melting against him, didn't make him feel guilty, wasn't cockily showing him that he had him under his thumb to do with as he desired.

It's probably why Revyn shifted to face him better, Galvorn pulling one of his own legs up to hook behind the dunmer, his other hand dropping to the other's waist as his tongue brushed closed lips, clearly pleased when Revyn's mouth slacked. The hand the wood elf had on Revyn's chin trailed to cup his cheek instead, thumb brushing over sharp cheekbone as he eventually pulled back, a hair's breadth away. Revyn didn't realize his eyes had closed, blinking to flushed freckled cheeks, and an affectionate smile; he couldn't recall why he felt as if he didn't deserve this.

"If you don't think it's a fair trade, that clearly means it did a number on you." Revyn groaned, but Gal wasn't done, "you know I'd never make you do something you didn't want to, I know there are things holding you back, but I.." his eyes were searching, "it's just us, Revyn. Nobody has to know."

_Nobody has to know._

Galvorn wasn't saying anything new that Revyn wasn't increasingly aware of himself; that he was the only person holding himself accountable anymore. He was so far away from anyone who would or could possibly care or look down at him for any potential promiscuous behavior; he spent a long time looking down too. Angry at the dark elves who left their ancestral homes and lost it, gave themselves away; it was unfortunate, he knew, that he was just as touch starved as them.

His mouth felt dry, hands tacky with heat pooling in his belly. "I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted, eyes flickering between Galvorn's lips and _literally_ anywhere else, "It use to seem like living.. like this, was the safest and easiest choice. I didn't understand why it was so hard for other dunmer to keep it together when they weren't under watch. I always thought personal accountability should have been enough." 

Galvorn had a faraway look, eyes dragging over the flush in the dunmer's collar, trailing the heat over the flush high on cheeks that dragged to the tips of his pointed ears, admiring the rise and fall of his breath; "You were always quick to kiss me back," he said then, flush low in his chest as he spoke, reaching the dunmer's eyes as he said; "hardly the easier choice when you melt so thoroughly when touched right."

Revyn groaned, a mixture of want and embarrassment slipping through. "Bodies are _sacred._ " he huffed, rubbing his palms against the front of his legs, "it's- it's the only thing that is ever truly yours from birth until death. You feed it, protect it, cherish it, and to give someone else access to the vessel you reside in is one of the most important gifts that can be given." 

Gal held his cheek, brushing his thumb over the edge of the other's mouth in thought before leaning to press their lips together, pulling back with mild amusement when Revyn visibly stopped himself from following. "I know where you're coming from," he began, his voice a low drawl, "I..- well. What makes a marriage special is an official union between two people, sharing their love with the people around them that care about them, but, Revyn," his thumb dipped, pressing against his pout, "you're allowed to share yourself with someone you trust. A piece of paper and a ring will not change my love for you, does not change the trust I have in you, nor will it make me yearn for you any differently than I yearn for you now. What we do behind locked doors will not define your worth or our relationship any different than doing so after a ceremony."

Revyn's eyes dropped to Galvorn's lips, before looking back up to reach his gaze. Galvorn tilted his head, "I do not wish to disrespect the beliefs you came from, because if they are important to you, then they are important to me too. I just desire for you to understand that, while yes, the body you reside in is sacred, and sharing it with a loved one is special, that loved one does _not_ take a piece of you with them when the deed is done. Your body is still your own, and you don't somehow become tainted by the actions you make while in it. It is yours to do with as you see fit, and no rule should attempt to instill both your worth based around your sexual proclivities while attempting to confuse you with its value."

He cupped the dunmer's cheeks, regarding him pointedly, "I love you, and I will wait for as long as it takes until you are ready, but I want you to make that decision based off of your _own_ wants and desires. Not by what you think is required of you." he paused, before saying, "I want every inch of you, _varbaril._ I'll take anything you will give me, and cherish what you will not. I just need you to understand that my end goal with you is old age, nothing more. I just want to be with you, that's all I care about."

Breathing was a _chore._ He felt absolutely struck, his heart in his throat and his mouth dry. His face so full of feeling his eyes were stinging; "Uhg," he sniffed, trying to discreetly wipe as his eyes, feeling distinctly overwhelmed, "when did you get this charismatic?"

"I had to learn to keep up with you," Gal hummed, affectionate, "I know you're used to unwanted attention, but I don't know how to prove to you that I'm not here with the sole purpose to slip under the layers you wear so well. I only want to know you, and be known by you, and everything else is chaff. Taking you to bed doesn't change the fact I fully intend to settle down with you, and as long as you understand that, then we will proceed however you see fit."

Revyn made a sound in the back of his throat, exhaling through his nose as he rose his hand to cup Galvorn by his cheek. The wood elf smiled faintly, leaning into the touch.

"Will you tell me what the word means?" he asked after a moment, but Gal shook his head.

"The deal was you tell me what got you so worked up and _then_ I share the translation."

The dark elf rolled his eyes, "you're insufferable," Galvorn didn't respond, pulling one of his hands back to rest his palm against the backside of Revyn's hand against his cheek, turning his head to kiss the palm. Galvorn pointedly said nothing, clearly waiting, letting his mouth drag from the palm of the dunmer's hand, down to his wrist; Revyn's breath picked up.

He really did react strongly to arguably minor things.

Revyn pressed his lips together, chewing on his cheek. "Uhm," the wood elf didn't pause, turning his hand around to kiss his knuckles, back of his hand- "I.. I was tired," he began, a little slow, "and you were barely wearing anything, and the.." he trailed off, struggling to find the specific term for it that didn't sound entirely pathetic, before landing on one with a sigh, "close. Closeness. Just because I don't normally act on my wants does not equate to me having none."

Galvorn trailed his hand up the length of Revyn's arm, dropping it down to his waist. It was a suggestion when he tugged Revyn closer, and the dunmer was by no means going to deny him. Their mouths connected, but instead of the heat from before, there was a warmth that flooded instead; no tongue, no teeth, and Galvorn pulled away with a breath and a word on his lips. " _starlight._ "

Revyn blinked, taken aback as the wood elf continued, "you remind me of starlight," another kiss, "the glow of the stars and their placements in the sky have lit up my path on the world's darkest nights and have always led me back to you. You are my _varbaril._ My path home."

It sort of clicked then, as Revyn pulled Galvorn into a watery kiss, that he did in fact know what he wanted out of all of this.

They fell asleep wrapped around each other sometime later, clung tightly, at least no longer pretending their reasons were for anything other than to be close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cuddling half-naked in the tent scene just sort of happened and 100% was not in my original outline for this chapter and completely changed what was going to happen, but this turned out way better somehow so I'm keeping it.
> 
> Note: Revyn is getting convinced because he _wants_ to be convinced, and Galvorn knows it. For plenty of folks sex _is_ marriage, and it is wrong to poke and prod and coerce someone to sleep with you when it's clear that they're not comfortable with it. However, this does not fully apply to their situation, and if Revyn didn't want to hear it he absolutely would have shot Galvorn down by now; he hasn't because he doesn't want to. I don't know if that's clear in my writing like I want it to be so I'm putting it down here to clarify. 
> 
> Varbaril: Bosmeri term for "light of the stars."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter; and, as a heads up, I did just post a chapter yesterday as well so if you didn't see that, read that first! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

The air was putrid, acid filling his nostrils, burning his lungs, and scorching his lips.

He felt like he was both floating and submerged, writhing somethings at his ankles like tongues, arms without skin, all taut muscles with no bones. Grabbing, pulling, dragging him down.

Revyn tried breathing, but his nose felt blocked, where as soon as he opened his mouth for air, something formless forced it's way through; smashing against his teeth and forcing his jaw wide open like a powerful gust of wind. It tasted of nothing, though his tongue and throat burned. Struggling _hurt,_ trying to tear at the feeling, blunt nails digging against his throat, his jaw, his eyes stinging as he opened them wide but he could see nothing around him; nothing before him that's breathing into him, filling his lungs with smoke. His ears felt clogged as though submerged in thick water, something snagging his wrist, yanking it from his clawing and nearly dislocating his limb as it tensed and pulsated.

Memories flashed and felt taken, feeling the ghost of prodding in his thoughts that he couldn't keep out.

There was movement above him, the sky a never-ending sea of pitch-black, the clouds rolling like thick inky waves. He couldn't scream, couldn't pull away, eyes adjusting to the midnight sea that surrounded him and all he saw was an abyss of writhing tentacles, flowing both with and against the current that swayed; blunt fingers of his last free limb tried helplessly to force his mouth close, failing to block and tear away the smog forcing it's way down his throat, feeling the boneless appendages slide up his legs and wrap around his waist where his skin was bare and exposed and it _hurt and-_

Hands found his face, and the tentacles receded almost as if burned, recoiling as a palm brushed his cheek, and Revyn was left, suspended, gasping for air but the terrible sea drenched his throat and filled his lungs. He couldn't see who was there, but their presence brought warmth that didn't sting even as he began to suffocate; eyes opened before him, yellowed by the contamination of this place, close enough he could almost recognize the shape of them, but he didn't have enough time to process why they were so familiar when a ring of eyes encircled just above; a crown of pupils like cuttlefish.

He didn't understand why they looked so sad.

He tried reaching out, but before his hand could reach them, the hands faded from his face. The eyes closed before him, and like the size of the moon, one opened. His ankles were pulled, then. Taken fathoms below the wretched abyss, kicking as he drowned.

Revyn woke with a start, jolting half upright and gasping for air. It took a long moment for him to recognize where he was at first, tears streaming down his face where his eyes stung and his lungs ached; the lantern above burning at low light, noting quickly the stone engraved at all angles, the table, their things, and Revyn's heart was pounding at a mile a minute. Looking down at himself, quickly assessing as he ran his hands down his arms, fingers dragging over sleeves as he tried to convince himself he was safe.

It didn't matter how much he ran his hands over his face or down his arms, he just felt _scared_. It felt.. it felt so real. Revyn barely remembers his dreams, but he was drenched in a cold sweat, shaking like a leaf in the wind. He focused on slowing his breathing, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end, and he could not shake the feeling he was being watched. Revyn swallowed thickly, closing his eyes, sighing shakily against his palms when he heard Galvorn shift beside him.

Revyn let his hands fall to his lap, looking at the wood elf almost as if he could solve the dread that's filled his chest like the inky sea. Galvorn was sprawled out messy, laying on his side facing the dunmer with one arm stuffed under a pillow and the other draped over the dunmer's lap. His hair was half out of the knot he tied it in, cheek squished and mouth pressed shut. Revyn did one more cursory glance about the room before slipping back down underneath the covers, pulling Galvorn's arm over him, burying himself under the blanket. He curled up against the other, chasing whatever ounce of safety he could salvage when his head felt as hazy as it did. The arm seemed to instinctually tighten around him, and Revyn tried to chase more pleasant dreams, ignoring the furrow that had pinched Galvorn's brow when he had looked at him, in the same fashion he swallowed the aftertaste of acid on his tongue.

-

The morning came slow and almost not soon enough, with Revyn having a particularly restless night and unfortunately didn't get much sleep. Galvorn was a warm presence pressed against him, but it didn't shake the dread that settled in the pit of his stomach. The knot seemed to lessen, however, when a short knock tapped against their door causing Galvorn to stir beside him. The goosebumps along his arms finally settled, and whatever pressure he felt against the back of his eyes like a hazy headache seemed to release; he felt as if he had spent the night rocking on an angry sea, finally landing on solid ground and feeling all the more tired for it.

There was another knock, this time a little louder. Gal groaned, pulling the dunmer closer as his arms tightened, burying his face against his neck with an exhale. Revyn turning his head to bury his face against his mussed up hair, clinging to him as he felt lips press against his throat.

"Good morning," Galvorn breathed, nose brushing along the dark elf's collar, sleep heavy in his voice; the knocking persisted until Lydia's voice yelled from the other side.

" _Gal let me in_ ," her voice was muffled by the metal, where another knock followed, " _put on clothes if you're not wearing any_."

"Why does nobody want to see me naked?" Galvorn mumbled against Revyn's shoulder, startling a tired laugh from the dunmer who swatted him away.

"It's too early for you to start this," Revyn, reluctantly, untangled himself from the absolute mass of limbs that was the wood elf, pulling away with a sigh as he tried rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "please go let her in."

Galvorn sighed, stretching with a yawn and groaning as he pushed himself upright. Leg half off the bed and shoulder slouched, he leaned over and planted a kiss against Revyn's cheek before slipping from the bed; Revyn heard him walk off, palms over his face as he kicked the blankets off his legs, grousing to himself when he heard the door open and feet shuffle in. It was fortunate, as he let his hands fall from his face, sitting up with a huff, that Lydia wasn't in her armour yet either, hair an unbrushed mess as she dropped her things onto the nearby table with a sigh of her own. It seems the day had to start whether they wanted it to or not.

The first night in a bed for once seemed to put the group of them in a state of drowsiness; Revyn wondered if either of them were struck by strange dreams too, but it seemed silly to ask.

Lydia plopped down on the stone stool by the table, shuffling through her bag as she gathered her things to prep for the day, while Galvorn snagged his by the end of the bed, pulling it by the baseboard and gathering his clothes. Revyn watched, knee's pulled up to his chest and his chin resting on his palm, as Lydia struggled once again through greasy knotted up hair into something manageable while Galvorn fumbled tiredly to do the same. It took some minor internal convincing to finally pull himself from bed, sifting through what clean clothes he even had left and yearning a bath right about now. He felt less gross, considering all of them were to some degree dirty, but it didn't change the sudden awareness of dirt under his nails and unkempt unruly hair that hadn't been properly washed in some time.

They dressed and packed in quiet, Lydia pulling out some rations for them each to quickly eat, nobody fully aware of the hour but if they wanted to make it to Winterhold before nightfall on the third day, then they needed to get moving. Chewing on the bread, ignoring how it crumbled a bit dry in his mouth, he laced his boots back up, strapping on his weapons and doing a quick once over of the rooms before everyone was armoured back up and ready to go.

Gal took lead once everyone was ready, carefully scouting the halls as they had the night before; it was fortunate when nothing came rolling from the walls, no more issues from the mechanical security of this city in ruins once Galvorn reached their exit, letting the two trailing behind slip through. The cold was sharp when they stumbled back into the wilderness, but the sun was still fortunately low on the horizon, and they had a full day of travel stretched out before them. Climbing up where they came was, arguably, a challenge, but hands gripped Revyn's arms and pulled him back to where they began. He didn't miss the crunch of snow or the freeze that trailed up his thighs, but he was thankful to be away from that place.

He didn't look back at the city as they finally traveled on; the morning air crisp, but the wind slow, the sun slowly rising higher into the sky on this clear cloudless day, being their final stretch towards Winterhold.

The snow, Revyn found, was not so high as the miles they traveled grew closer to the slopes of the marshlands; though, for now, the snow went from the hight of his thighs to just below his knee's. The next two days trickling together, uneventful enough between travel and rest, eating when they could spare the time. It was a mostly cloudy morning on their third and final day, seeing the final few miles left that trailed up to the steep cliff that held Winterhold on the far horizon. Wandering the cold mountainsides growing easier by the hour, seeing the tangible end finally in sight, and their conversations picked up now that there was something there and well within reach.

Revyn was thankful, as they climbed a few steep inclines up, Galvorn trying to locate the main road once again to make the climb us less jarring, that he didn't suffer another dream like the first. He'd half-convinced himself it was something about that place, despite the oil that clung to him in the center of his chest telling him it was something else. It didn't seem to follow him, whatever it was, and for that he was grateful.

He was excited to finally bathe, as well. Wash his clothes and rest for a day or two before they finished up their journey. Galvorn seemed only a little anxious, the closer they got to the college, but Revyn didn't dwell on it too long; truthfully, he didn't have the chance to.

Revyn didn't register it when it happened the first time, like a far away groan that reverberated through the windy dips of the distant mountains. It didn't ring again for a long number of minutes, and when it did, it sounded so different. A cry on the wind that barreled like a hurricane.

_City guards were all shouting, the sky was red, dark unnatural clouds whirling and taking shape as the universe seemed to tear-_

Revyn blinked, pausing in his steps, turning his eyes up towards the sky. 

Galvorn had been leading the charge but he stopped dead in his tracks. His hand shot out to stop his companions from moving, when another cry broke through the sky, nearer than before. Revyn looked around wildly; they were exposed from all sides. Mountains towered in the distance but nothing they could run to for cover -

A shadow swam along the pale snow, darkening their path.

" _Run!_ "

Like a storm, a deafening cry erupted from above head. A crash of wings beating in the air soon followed by a terrible screech like a million past screams bleeding into a million more to come, and Revyn was too terrified to look up. Panic gripped him when Galvorn was already dashing forward, Lydia close behind, narrowly dodging a stream of molten fire pouring like lava from the beast above that Revyn nearly crashed into. Revyn was held back by the snow, his fear and horror ravaging him in panic and he could not push through, calling for Galvorn who noticed too late.

The wind rippled in a flurry before the ground shook, cutting off Revyn's already waning line of sight to his companions as an alarming enormous reptile, larger than a _building_ , slammed to the earth between them, causing the very earth beneath his feet to shudder and quake. The snow flew on impact, Revyn stumbling back in a panic, a cry of his own on his lips as his legs nearly gave way at the sight.

Bronze-scaled and covered in soot, its scales gleaming against the morning light as its fierce maw snapped his direction. Its arrow-shaped tale whipped in the air behind it, cracking against the ground, its yellowed eyes narrowing down on him.

He grabbed his bow with limbs that had no strength left in them, his voice trapped in his throat as he shakily yet quickly knocked an arrow against the string, letting it loose the moment the terrible beast unhinged its terrible jaw like a snake.

Revyn watched in abject horror as the rise of its molten breath could be seen through the cracks in its scales that trailed along its throat, rising like bile that blasted past a series of jagged teeth. He didn't have time to consider if he was going to die, slammed back by the immense force of it, enveloping him before he could think.

Surrounded by terrible flame, Revyn smashing to the ground in terror and agony, crying out in pain. He couldn't breathe, everything hurt, and when the flame stopped -

The flame stopped.

His skin felt the blast from the heat but was still very much there, and he was too stunned and terrified to scramble to his feet when it stopped, looking forward wild and confused at how he was even still alive when he felt an intense heat burn against his chest; hissing at the pain as he fumbled to tear off what was hurting him but his fingers ached and he was on the _ground_ -

The dragon snarled, it's horrific breath smelling of rot as it slammed its claws into the snow, leaving a crater in its wake. Its jaws snapping at him, barreling towards him with great force as Revyn yanked at the necklace against his throat, glowing hot and painful to the touch, unable to think let alone act and fully unsure where his bow landed as another blast of fire scorched the ground around him; and he realized then, despite the pain, he wasn't actually _burning_.

Revyn didn't have time to consider the gift Galvorn had given him at their journeys start, scrambling out of the way as a claw slashed down against the earth he had been knocked to. It's voice harsh and deafening as it seared the snow around him, the air becoming unbreathable where the heat still licked at him like the lava that poured from the eruption all those years ago. He couldn't get away, each time he scrambled to his feet he was struck back down with another blast, another claw almost tearing into him, jaws so close he could smell its hot sulfuric breath hit him and he was _alone_ and he just can't _get away - !_

_FUS RO DAH_

A blast jolted the dragon before its teeth could snag the dunmer from the melted snow, the earth like brimstone under scraped palm's and nearly scorched skin as the beast snarled.

Revyn just barely knew the sound from the Nordic ruins, something terrible thrashing down the hall's from the last time he almost-

The dragon dug its claws into the ground where the sound of crumbling stone followed, its contorted reptilian body moving like the snake it was to fix it's sharp gaze behind it. Like a ripple, it's voice sounded as though it was being dragged over shattered glass and ancient cracked stones, echoing from caves so deep there was no discernable bottom, causing the air to vibrate around them.

Revyn didn't understand why the feeling felt so familiar.

" _Dovahkiin,_ " it hissed, it's tail slicing through the air like a whip; " _There you are._ "

It charged forward before taking flight. Revyn watched it dive in the air; exhaling tightly as he quickly looked down at himself, his clothes- he has some mild burns along his skin, and some of his clothes were fried but he was mostly intact, looking around the snow in a panic as he couldn't see where his bow had dropped, terrified of close combat when another blast erupted into the sky -

_JOOR ZAH FRUL_

A blast of blue light erupted from the beast, its wings stuttering in air as it seemed almost dragged from the sky. 

Revyn watched dumbstruck when the beast landed on the ground in a furious heap, a blinding light holding it down like the weight of thousand chains. Nothing about what he was seeing seemed normal, but he didn't have much time to question what was happening when there, in a flurry of movement, was Galvorn. Arrow after arrow shot from his bow, before a cry fell from his lips, dashing forward with impossible speed, and in a moment he was using that momentum to leap and spray the beast with arrows.

What..-

He felt hands on his arms, seeing a flash of unpolished steel armour as he was being pulled to his feet. Hands touched his burns but the sting couldn't pull him from what Galvorn was doing before him.

Galvorn was in a Shouting match with a dragon, and the dragon was losing.

Galvorn can Shout.

_"Revyn, do you know who the Dragonborn is?"_

Revyn watched stupidly as a blast of flame fell from lips that did not belong to the dragon, the sound echoing in his head of a time his wrists had been bound and a blade had been against his throat.

_Tell me about his Shouts,_ the Thalmor had asked him. _Tell me about the Dragonborn._

Revyn hadn't connected the dots, then.

_"I was there when he realized he could absorb the soul of dragons. I've been with him since the start."_

It had been so obvious.

The Dragon slammed a claw against the bomser who wasn't able to dodge quickly enough, but he used the momentum of his fall to flip back and slam the creature with another burst from his throat, causing the incredible beast to stagger as he landed a final arrow through its eye.

It let out a horrific scream as its body stumbled forward, collapsing in a heap that shook the very ground they stood on.

Galvorn hooked his bow over his back, stepping towards the body of the creature, where a gentle light began to form at the tip of its nose. Scales began to recede into dust, flowing into a whirlwind of light that dragged towards Galvorn like a rush of water, surrounding him until there was nothing but bone left behind. His skin was alight with an ethereal glow before fading back to nothing, shoulders slumping into an exhale.

The silence stretched, receding like a wave before a tsunami would eventually reach the shore; the Dragonborn stood, unmoving, the ensuing crash incoming but, at that moment, would not look its way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's on a necklace of fire resistance that a fool who knows the blast of dragon fire would want his loved ones to wear at all times; can't start a journey unsafe when dragons aren't exactly extinct.
> 
>  _Joor Zah Frul_ : Dragonrend  
>  _Fus Ro Dah_ : Unrelenting Force.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm trying to get this full story done within the next week or so; let's cross our fingers I get my time management on lock to do so. Again, all mistakes are mine; Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!

It was a cold evening when Revyn first met Galvorn; it was a cold evening when meeting him now.

Clearly, this was a completely different person, so new in fact that Revyn simply did not recognize him. Not when this stranger turned to face him, fly hairs dragging over his freckled face - Revyn dropped his eyes to the ground before his feet, scorched fractured brimstone, the water from the melted snow beginning to flood the cracks. 

He didn't want this wicker flame to go out between them, but it was flickering and he was _crashing_. His head hurt, all his energy completely sapped from him and he felt so far away from himself he had no idea what he was even doing anymore; what the point of any of this was. He saw vaguely in his peripheral that he was being approached, his hands running up his cheeks, blunt nails scratching against his scalp as he brushed his hair back before tacky mildly burned palms rubbed furiously at his eyes. The pit of his belly absolutely curdled, feeling a thousand fires under his skin rapidly catching and burning until he became lost in it.

He gave up his home to follow someone who couldn't even tell him the truth, and the realization of that _hurt_. He started his life there, finished raising Idesa there, built everything he ever knew down that shallow stoned slum but that- that had been home. Revyn didn't _hide_ things that were important to him from Galvorn. He can't even think of some huge secret that could possibly shatter Galvorn's entire view of him, that could possibly.. possibly make him feel like this.

The tension is thick and awkward, as footsteps crunched through the snow their way.

Revyn's body was absolutely rigid. Lydia squeezed his shoulder, mumbling something about going to track down the path towards the main road before trudging off; Revyn didn't see the sharp look Lydia had shot Galvorn's way before she slipped on through the snow, hearing her footsteps grow distant as Galvorn's finally stopped before him. He saw the shape of his boots settled before him, and Revyn struggled to find any reason why he shouldn't just follow Lydia and simply leave the bosmer behind to never speak of it again.

Some furious part of his brain wanted to fight it out, wanted to tear into Galvorn like the liar he was and scream at him until he was blue in the face. His stomach dropped, chewing on the inside of his cheek so hard he could taste blood; whereas another part of his brain just wanted the stones underfoot to swallow him up, or vanish and go home and never speak to him again. Coward it out and suck up the embarrassment as he returned to his shop as if none of this had happened to begin with. If Galvorn could keep the fact he was the Dragonborn a closely guarded secret, then what else could he possibly be hiding? Revyn doesn't just _trust_ people, and for him to have completely misread the person who he could have settled down with was jarring.

Revyn couldn't stop running over conversations they had months ago, sifting through every lie, wracking his mind that's been riddled with all the wrong memories. Disbelief and hurt very suddenly being drowned in his rage. His chest felt tight, hands clenching and unclenching at his side until one of them eventually dragged up to his face, furious with himself when he felt his eyes start to sting; great, as if he needed to feel more like an idiot than he already did. Revyn eventually reached Galvorn's eyes, wearing his disgust and anger openly.

The wood elf in question was peering at him, his skin matching the snow, pale and unsettled as it was. His hands were in front of him, curled against his middle, and clearly waiting for the dam to break. The wind seemed to die around them, leaving them in a space filled only with their sharp breathing.

Revyn shattered that calmness with a scoff, blunt nails dragging down crossed arms from the shoulders to the elbows before settling there.

"Why didn't you tell me?" his voice was sharp, hardened in a way that might protect him from further humiliation.

Galvorn made to speak but Revyn cut him off.

"Why didn't you say _anything?_ " he demanded, and while there was shame plastered on Galvorn's face, it wasn't enough. "Do you want to explain to me what the _fuck_ that was all about?"

"Revyn-"

"Why would you _hide_ something like that from me?" his chest ached. "I've known you for.. for over a _year_ now! In that time did I somehow prove to you I wasn't trustworthy? That I didn't deserve to know? That you want me to-" Revyn couldn't even say it, couldn't even think about it when he spat, " _What even is all this?_ Why even bother with dragging the first miserable little nobody you could get your hands on? Why am I here if all you planned to do was lie to me?"

"I-"

"Galvorn _shut up!_ " Revyn snapped, "Or..- or should I refer to you by Dragonborn? Huh? Did you ever plan on actually telling me or was I suppose to always find out when a Dragon _came barrelling down from the sky to kill us._ Or, perhaps, you hoped I'd never find out! Imagine that! Married to the fucking _Dragonborn_ and not have a clue! Did you really hope I'd stay stupid and unaware our whole.. whatever it is that we even are anymore after all of this." the wood elf flinched at that. Nothing about this felt good.

"You.." he shook his head, sighing harshly as he struggled with his words, "you..- you _claim_ you want a relationship. You claim you want to settle down and start over, but at what point is it appropriate to sit me down and tell me what you are?" Revyn lowed his voice, trying to calm his breathing but it was difficult, "at what point are you too far gone and held on to so many lies and falsehoods that you just simply don't? Did you decide we were past the point of no return? Do you genuinely think.. what? That..- that I couldn't handle knowing? That I'd do something foolish as a result? That you'd-"

"That I'd lose you." his voice had sounded so small Revyn almost missed it, blinking at him with exasperation.

"Wh-" Revyn rubbed at his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose when he said, "Why would you think something like that?" he frowned, "what have I possibly _done_ to make you think I'd want nothing to do with you if told me you were the Dragonborn?"

"You're-" it was Galvorn's turn to grasp at his words, looking between the backdrop of mountains and Revyn's face. "You worry-"

"Oh, so this is somehow _my_ fault?"

" _No-!_ " and when he tried to step forward, Revyn took a step back; it caused the bosmer to stumble with his words, looking every form lost and unsure how he could possibly salvage this. "I- I.. Revyn," he tried again, "No, I.. I mean I didn't _want_ to make you worry. No more than you did already, and you..-and you never talked about it. Every time I came to see you, every night we spent together, I could just feel the dread coming off of you when it was getting close to when I needed to leave. I didn't want to add to that, and early on it was so difficult knowing how much of you even wanted anything to do with me."

Revyn looked at him confused, but Galvorn didn't stop; "I just- I don't know how you would have reacted early on. If you would have looked at me and decided I was too much trouble. Another foolish thing you didn't have the energy to worry about."

"That's stupid," Revyn snapped, "I cared about you then too, you dropping that you were the Dragonborn wasn't going to change any of that."

"I couldn't have _known_ that-"

"So your answer was to _lie about it_ , instead?" Revyn threw his hands up, "At what point do the cards fall? At what point would you have decided I cared about you enough to stay? You hadn't chosen yet, despite what I dropped so I could be with you. Despite everything I left behind so that I could wake up every morning and see you. I decided on my own that I wanted to travel across Skyrim and face every sort of unpleasant beast because I'm _in lo-_ " Revyn stopped, frustrated.

Revyn rubbed his palms down his face, "If you being what you are was enough to make me stop talking to you, then why would you even want to pursue someone like that?" he said then, sounding every bit exhausted as he felt. "Why would you waste your time?"

"You have never been a waste of time-"

"Stop _flirting_ Galvorn," Revyn huffed, "This really isn't the time."

"It isn't flirting," Galvorn said, almost frustrated, "How can it be when it's the truth?"

"Oh, _now_ you're being honest."

"I wanted to be around you," if there was a plea in his voice, it was quiet, "I'd convinced myself I couldn't be if you found out. Why would you associate yourself with that sort of trouble?"

"Why wouldn't I?" there was hurt filtering through the anger, and Galvorn didn't know what made him feel worse. "There has to be more to this than my worry, that's a foolish excuse and-"

"You underestimate my foolishness when it comes to you," and he was so _earnest_ it was suffocating, "Revyn if there was even the slightest chance you would have turned me away, I didn't want to take it."

" _Gods_ why does that matter so much to you?" his shoulders were tight, hands waving in bewilderment, "There are thousands of merchants out there, millions of dunmer-"

"And?" it was Galvorn's turn to sound bewildered, staring at the dunmer searchingly, "I didn't fall in love with you for either of those reasons-?"

"I literally don't understand _anything_ that's happening right now, or why you chose me-"

"How can I make you understand?" Galvorn huffed, "There wasn't a _choice_ in any of this. I didn't have a say in the way my heart responded to the sound of your voice or- or how..- how I feel when I'm around you. My infatuation with- with the way you hold yourself, how you talk, and how you could carry any conversation with anyone you met. I liked the sound of your voice, and your tired smiles and the way your worry and effort just encompassed the people you cared about. I wanted-" Galvorn looked like he wanted to reach out and was restraining himself from doing so, "I wanted to be apart of that and while, sure, I made a choice to get closer to you, how I feel about you was never determined by one thing. I was- I _am_ , drawn to you. Drawn to your enthusiasm, and your commitment, and your-" Galvorn cut himself off, clearly frustrated, "I-" he sighed, "I didn't know how to keep that, other than being as low maintenance as possible for you." 

Revyn's shoulders slumped, "Gal-"

"No, listen," there was a determined calm about him, "I met you around the time I first started seeing the Greybeards. It was a really... awful time in my life and I had..- I had all this responsibility dumped onto me and I was- I wasn't doing _enough_ back then. I ran away from a lot, avoided responsibilities down to an art, I was cursed with this ability to absorb _souls_ of all things, and I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't want purpose, I didn't want anything. I was angry, and spiteful, and some part of me thought if I focused on another problem then the first one would somehow go away, and it didn't."

"I cared what happened to the world but I didn't start really trying to do anything about it, until I met you," he admitted, voice a ghost, "I just remember.. I remember seeing you in the market, passing you, and I don't even remember who you were with but I remember you were laughing." Galvorn shakily brushed his loose hair from his face, "With the war going on, mass dead, dragons, a resurgence in bandit attacks- I was in a really dark place. I was feeling bogged down and overwhelmed and as though I wasn't doing nearly enough. That- that I was racing towards this..- this _dead-end_ where I was either going to perish or fail and I didn't know which I was more terrified of. I didn't know what I was doing, and I wanted nothing more than for the God's to realize their mistake in choosing to curse me like this, and I- I was so struck when I heard someone laughing. It was like-"

Galvorn was grasping, brows furrowed and eyes far away as he said; "-like I'd really forgotten the sound of it. This was sometime before I ran _into_ you in the marketplace, because I remember you were slipping away, and I was left feeling like I wanted to follow and capture that sound, hold it in a box that I could keep; which feels so ridiculous to say out loud but I was losing my way and I needed to hear it. Then I- I _met_ you, and by the _nine_ you were-" Galvorn exhaled, hand dragging up his cheeks, fingers brushing his fly hairs away, "Just _everything_. You had - _have_ \- such a good head on your shoulders, you were so friendly despite how strange I had been behaving, you were kind and patient and so talkative and you laughed so freely and warm and I-" arms fell to his middle, "I loved the way you made everything so normal for me. I didn't feel like some savior of legend around you, I didn't feel like you were leaning on me for answers, and then I got to know you and you are just- so compassionate. You have such a strong personality I could get lost in it, and I loved how fully you cared about those around you, and how much doing the right thing meant to you, and I just wanted to be apart of that."

Revyn didn't know what to say to all that, which was fine because Galvorn wasn't finished yet.

"I didn't tell you I was the Dragonborn because of selfish reasons," he said ardently, "because I was so infatuated by you and I loved thinking I could keep all those nights we spent together separate from the absolute shipwreck my life had become. Mixing the two meant putting that in danger, and you were already in enough stress as it was; and once it became clear you added me to your list of people you worried for, I didn't want to make that any more complicated than I already had."

"It was _already_ complicated, Gal." Revyn pinched the bridge of his nose before letting his arms drop to wrap around his middle, clearly flustered by all of this but trying desperately to stay focused, exasperated, " _Yes_ , it would have been a bit stressful knowing you were the Dragonborn, but you _have_ to have those uncomfortable conversations with the people you care about. Especially when you had to-" something struck him then, blinking rapidly when he said, "You traveled to Sovngarde _._ "

Galvorn shifted uncomfortably, watching as a number of things seemed to click in place for the dunmer who looked him over in shock.

"You killed Alduin."

Galvorn gave a little nod.

" _You_ killed _Alduin_."

"I did..- I did in fact do that, yeah." He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, looking over the dark elf who was staring at him completely dumbstruck. Galvorn sighed, "Revyn, I'm sorry I never told you."

Revyn seemed to deflate, though his shock didn't fully melt away. He blinked a few times, shaking his head with a huff, "I'd say it's fine, but I'm still upset with you O' Savior of Tamriel." The wood elf smiled faintly at that, nodding a bit solemnly despite feeling as though he salvaged something, "Just.. no more lying to me. If you want this to work, you need to be honest with me from now on. I haven't been keeping secrets from you, as it's a wretched thing to do, and I want to be able to trust you. I can't do that if I'm worried you're hiding things from me all the time."

"No, you're right," Galvorn paused then, tentatively reaching out; relief flooded him when Revyn didn't hesitate to take his hand and Galvorn pulled him forward, wrapping his arms around the dark elf tightly, burying his face against his hair. "I'm sorry." he murmured, exhaling against his hair, "I intend to stay with you and I don't know when I would have ever had the courage to tell you. I'm sorry you had to find out this way," he pulled back only a little, eyes scanning Revyn's face before glancing down at the amulet he had given him at their journeys start with a breath, "I'm glad you didn't get seriously hurt, either."

Revyn blinked at that, before his hand touched the amulet, having already forgotten about it, "ah, yes. Thank you for this, by the way. I feel like.. that outcome would have been a great deal worse." he relaxed in Galvorn's grip, "I'm just glad that all that Dragon business is mostly over as it is. No more trips to different realms and fighting world-ending creatures. I- I know you've been back for a while, but I'm so thankful you're okay after all of that."

"Of course I was okay," Galvorn smiled tiredly down at him, "I wasn't going to let anything stop me from seeing you again."

Revyn snorted at that, dropping his head against the bosmer's chest when the sound of footsteps crunching on snow caught their attention from not too far away. The pair of them looked over as Lydia approached, who nodded in greeting.

"Looks like you two sorted that out, good," she gestured behind her, "I found the road."

"Good timing," Galvorn pulled away, "we should get moving then. Sun'll go down in a few hours, and we've already spent too much time here."

"You got anything else you wanna say before we get going, then?" Lydia asked suddenly.

Galvorn gave her a harsh deadpan look and she looked as if she could sucker punch him, but didn't. Rolling her eyes, she fell back in line near Sadri, who gave her a curious look that she simply shook her head to, and the group of them continued onward.

The final leg of their journey to the city of Winterhold finally came to a close after a quiet trek up an empty road. 

Whereas the road to Whiterun was rich in farmland and surrounded in little rivers and thick forests; Winterhold was desolate, frozen, and barren. The roads were deeply scarred and cracked, the buildings they passed as they entered were mostly in ruin, and it was clear there wasn't much left of a place like this. The guards paid them no mind as they traveled up, only one acknowledging them whatsoever with a nod and nothing more.

This place was disquieting, and whether his discomfort showed on his face was up for debate, but Galvorn wrapped his arm around his shoulders anyway as they tracked down uneven paths through the center of town.

Revyn had never seen a place so empty before.

Strange white scorch marks trailed along decrepit buildings, along doors and windows where cracks had formed, but nothing looked fully busted through, and he couldn't help but wonder what could have caused damage like that.

Revyn drew his gaze forward, feeling particularly rude for gawking. Nightfall was practically upon them, once they reached the incline leading up to their destination, and Revyn got a glimpse of the immense size of what he supposes is the infamous college. He caught movement in his peripheral as they trekked up the first set of stairs, where an Altmer woman in dark mage robes seemed to startle; pushing from where she was resting against the wall as soon as she noticed the group approach, however, the tension in her shoulders all but vanished at the sight of the tall wood elf leading their charge.

"Ah, Galvorn," she greeted, arms crossing once again over her chest, "Haven't seen you in a little while. Tolfdir was getting worried you'd forgotten about us."

"Never," he smiled at her kindly. "I got the materials you requested. I have to run them through Tolfdir first however, to make sure they're safe for use. I came across them in a questionable place and I'd rather your experiments don't get anyone, including yourself, hurt." she cackled at that, but Gal continued; "Speaking of which, do you know where he is? I need to speak with him."

The Altmer woman seemed to think for a second, her eyes momentarily taking particular interest in the dunmer, pointedly noting the arm around his shoulders before glancing back towards Galvorn. "It's sundown, so he's probably in the Hall of Elements finishing up one of his lectures. Unless something cut that short, I imagine he's still there."

"Thank you, Faralda," Galvorn dropped his arm, sliding his hand down to intertwine with Revyn's as he moved onward, "keep trouble out."

Faralda chuckled, "I can't when it's you."

Galvorn smiled to himself as they continued on.

The path up was long and winding, and Revyn simply could not understand how it was still possibly standing. The trail-way up was crumbling, its supports looking as though they should have given out years ago but were still _impossibly_ holding strong; magic felt imbued in the very ground he walked, and before they knew it, they were stepping up towards the main gates, which Revyn noted in fascination as they opened on their own once they seemed to cross some invisible barrier, treading inside.

It wasn't a terribly impressive place by any means, Revyn glancing up towards the high walls curiously; it was certainly a college. A surrounding of rounded off stone, encircling a courtyard filled with trees; a statue stood in the center, leading off where they seemed to be headed. There weren't a lot of people out and about, as the mage at the gates seemed to insinuate classes were going on, and for some reason, Galvorn seemed to be hesitating more and more as they approached the gates towards the far end. Lydia nudged him, almost as if to signal something to him but the bosmer brushed it off with a shake of his head, his hand landing flat against the grainy metal surface leading to what the dunmer assumed was the Hall of Elements.

Galvorn paused, looking tense. He looked over his shoulder at Revyn, who was eyeing him curiously when he eventually sighed.

"You're about to be very upset with me," and instead of explaining what the _fuck_ that's supposed to mean, he simply squeezed their interlaced fingers before pushing in without another word. Revyn heard Lydia's frustrated groan at his flank, but he didn't have time to ask her what was happening when they stepped inside; an older voice was projecting from somewhere off that they could not see yet, and Revyn took in the high ceilings and another fountain of light, pillars encircling a room full of empty space. Stepping on, there was a rather sizable group of mages standing in an even crowd, watching someone before them, clearly bored, and Revyn recognized a lecture when he saw one.

Facing the small sea of apprentice blues, was an older gentleman whos hair had all turned white. He stood in simple robes, pouches lining his belt and seemingly enthusiastically explaining the tail end of a lesson concerning wards when his eyes glanced up and noticed the trio waltzing in, causing him to straighten up politely with a smile.

"Ah, class, seem's we have guests." A few heads had already turned their direction curiously, and Galvorn waved with his free hand as he approached. "And to what do we owe the pleasure Galvorn? It's been a little while since you've been here."

"I apologize for my tardiness," though he shifted his arm down to reach towards a pouch hanging from his hip, "and I apologize for my interruption, I have a few stones for you to examine when you have the time, and I need to speak with you at your earliest convenience when class is dismissed."

The older gentlemen, who Revyn could only assume was Tolfdir considering Galvorn's previous conversation, stepped forward to receive the pouch, turning it over in his hands a moment before nodding. "Of course, and ah-" he looked back over to his students with a nod, "we have some new faces as well that have joined since your last visit that I'd like to introduce to you as well, when you have the time. Ah, and please don't run off just yet either, Galvorn, I need you to look some things over for me before you go back to wherever it is you vanish to." There was an edge of seriousness in his voice, but he was smiling kindly and Galvorn sighed good-natured and nodded.

"Of course-"

"Students," Tolfdir returned his attention back to the class, "I may have to cut class a bit short today, but I would like to implore a few of our newcomers to step forward," he rattled off a few names. A few young faces stepped forward, noting a Khajiit, two Bosmer, two Nords, a Dunmer, and an Imperial of all varying genders and sizes, all in simple blues walk forward, looking a little confused among themselves until Tolfdir gestured to the wood elf with a nod, "I know some of you have been eager for an introduction to our elusive leader, so allow me to introduce you to Master Galvorn Túrin, your Arch-Mage."

 _Wait_.

Revyn plays off his surprise with a cough, catching himself before he could possibly say anything, where somehow _Arch-Mage_ isn't even the most shocking new's he's learned this day alone; Revyn chewed down his annoyance, increasingly aware of the number of eyes that were on him, so he grit his teeth and said nothing.

Students jumped up on the realization they were before their Arch-Mage with fervor, and Revyn untangled his hand from Galvorn's to both give him space to deal with _that_ and also out of an intense need to not be touched right then. Galvorn almost didn't let go, but Revyn pulled back as the wood elf was quickly surrounded by excitable students with a million questions, young mages talking over other mages to get their name and voice heard. A hand clasped on his shoulder as Lydia tugged him away from the excitement, giving him an apologetic look, all her prior grumbling making so much sense.

The dunmer recognized at least that these things were not for her to say, whether or not she liked it and Revyn- he wasn't...- he wasn't angry with her. She was Galvorn's housecarl first and foremost, and Revyn understood at least that, even if it was annoying.

She opened her mouth to speak before her eyes flickered to someone over Revyn's shoulder, who turned and noticed they were being approached.

Tolfdir slipped around the crowd, stepping forward and greeting the pair of them kindly, hands folded behind his back.

"Wonderful to see you again Miss Lydia, staying out of trouble I hope?" Lydia, despite her grievances, smiled at the older man.

"As always," she replied, letting her hand fall from the dunmer's shoulder to cross in front of her, "We got those rifts cleared up too, by the way. We haven't seen any more anomalies after that, and fortunately, nothing was damaged."

"That's very good to hear," Tolfdir nodded, "I hadn't heard from either of you in such a long time I was getting worried something had happened."

"Us? Never," she smiled, "No, Gal's just had his attention split for a bit. A lot has happened since we were last here."

"I heard about Alduin," he said with a sigh, "I hadn't heard anything more about where the Dragonborn went after news reached us that the World-Eater was vanquished. It was as if he had vanished in thin air, and nobody had seen or heard from him in quite some time." he glanced over his shoulder at Galvorn with a chuckle, "clearly I was worried for no reason, but it was an unclear time. I'm glad you both returned safe." he paused a moment, "although, would you mind me asking where you two have been hiding? There has been a lot of talk among the teachers and students and I've heard all sorts of interesting theories, though I would like to know if my hunch was correct."

Lydia gestured towards Revyn, then. "It's not some great secret, but Galvorn was sorting out his love life."

Tolfdir's smile reached his eyes as a warm laugh bubbled out his mouth, looking at the dark elf with mirth. "Ah, so that's who you are. I wasn't sure if we had met before, and I didn't want to be rude when I couldn't recall your name." he reached out his hand and Revyn took it kindly, "I'm Tolfdir, Master Wizard."

"Revyn Sadri," the dunmer nodded, letting his hand drop back to his side, "Merchant."

"It's lovely to meet you," and Revyn couldn't shake how genuinely he seemed to mean it, "I think you're the first partner an Arch-Mage has ever taken in recorded history, which is a fascinating prospect." he looked between the pair of them, "Arch-Mage's are often so dedicated to their craft they oftentimes forget to be people first, so this is a welcome change." his smiled waned a bit, "I suppose Colette had the right idea then, though she assumed Galvorn had simply settled down."

"What did you think happened?" Lydia looked him over, bemused.

Tolfdir shook his head, looking a little troubled. "Hard to quantify. I've been- well, I've been having strange dreams of late. After Galvorn returned with news of Septimus' demise, something-" he stopped, frowning, "well, it's silly. The point is that I assumed he returned to that outpost, furthering his study of that book he mentioned. He never did bring it in, and I've been curious about it for some time."

Lydia shifted at that. Revyn looked Tolfdir over, searchingly, though plenty of folks have strange dreams; it was unlikely they had a similar one.

"He's been in Windhelm," Lydia said after a moment, "after we're done here we're getting these two settled in Solitude. As soon as the address is settled, I'll have Gal send the college his postage so you can stay in contact easier."

"I would appreciate that greatly, Miss Lydia, thank you." whatever discomfort had briefly flashed over the older man's posture had all but vanished, running his hand down the length of his cropped white beard, glancing back towards the swarm surrounding the wood elf with a funny little sigh. "Seem's the other students have joined in. I should go help him." he smiled one last time at the pair of them, "It was wonderful to see you again Miss Lydia, and Mister Sadri, wonderful to meet you."

"You as well," Revyn replied, and with a nod, Tolfdir began his approach to break up the crowd.

Revyn exhaled, shoulders falling to a slump. A hand grabbed his elbow, Lydia pulling him away from the chao's. He followed her lead as she walked off, heading towards a door on the right before pulling it open to allow him to slip through first. Once the door was closed behind them, she sighed.

"I'm sorry," she gave Revyn a tired look, who returned it with a sigh of his own.

"It's fine," he grumbled, "I don't even care he's the.. the Arch-Mage. Which by the _Divines_ how did that even _happen_?"

"It's a long story," Lydia began ascending the stairs, gesturing for Revyn to follow. "It'll be best to hear it from him."

"He's made a point not to tell me things, so I don't know how reliable he's going to be on that front."

Lydia pressed her lips together, clearly debating something once they reached the upper platform.

It was a wide space with winding stairs leading up and descending in either direction; there was a room that swept off to their immediate left, and the first thing Revyn noticed was the garden. Lydia walked towards it, and the dunmer followed close beside, eyes drawn to the floating lights dancing above the cultivation of herbs and fungi, examining the moss covering the cobblestone that surrounded the garden; Revyn noted, although a great deal more absently, the alchemy station with shelves filled with books and ingredients in an overflow off to their left. Stones, skulls, scrolls sprawled on dusty tables that clearly haven't been touched in some time, and the more he looked around the more oddities he seemed to discover.

"Welcome to the Arch-Mage quarters," Lydia finally said after a moment, allowing Revyn to get accustomed to his surroundings. "You'll be staying here for the night. There's a washroom to the left, and the bedroom is behind the garden."

"This is weird," Revyn murmured, reaching out to touch one of the little lights floating in the garden, watching as his fingers passed through. He pulled his hand back, looking at his palm but there wasn't even a residue. Letting his hand fall, he glanced around before letting his eyes fall on Lydia.

"Can you be honest with me?" he frowned, making a minor gesture to all of the things around him, "Is this it? Is this- well, is there anything else I should be aware of?"

Lydia pressed her lips together, fingers drumming against her armoured thigh. After a deliberate moment, she exhaled.

"Sadri, there are... things about Galvorn I'm not supposed to talk about. I disagree with some of his foolish secret-keeping, but I understand why he does it. However," she glanced behind herself then, making sure they were alone before stepping forward, "Most stuff he's involved in isn't too terribly serious. He's the Thane of four separate holds; Whiterun, Markarth, Solitude, and Falkreath. Dragonborn and Arch-Mage are a given, and even though I'm..- angry with him, for not talking to you about it like some coward that I know he isn't, much of these things keep just.. happening to him."

"What is that even suppose to mean?"

Lydia inclined her head, "Dragonborn stuff is a fate thing. It just happened, and he had to roll with it. Then the previous Arch-Mage had been killed -this is well after you and Gal were already talking- he had been given the title when he stepped up and saved the college after some dangerous interference with the Thalmor. I won't get into the details, but that happened before the dragons came barrelling down on the holds." she glanced off then, "then, of course, he's Thane of so _many_ holds because he can't stop helping people. The number of letters he's received from Jarls who wanted to personally thank him for work he's done, clearing out nearby bandit camps, assisting every problem under the damned sun because he gets so caught up in leaving a place better than how he found it, and honestly, it's exhausting. I don't get where he gets the energy or the time."

Revyn ran his hands down his face, "ah. Sound's about right."

Lydia snorted, "look, Galvorn doesn't like bragging, and he's so private it's annoying, and if you're going to tear him a new one it's none of my business. I'll be in Galvorn's old rooms for the night and I won't have to deal with it, so please just sort it out now so I super won't have to in the morning either. But.. erm," she scrunched up her face a moment, "just- just keep in mind that even though he's kind of an idiot, a lot of these things have happened to him and oftentimes happen as a result of his compulsive will to do good."

Revyn didn't say anything, eventually letting his eyes fall and nodding. Lydia clasped his shoulders.

"Look, I'm tired. I'm gonna go get some sleep, and.. I'm sorry again."

"I'll be fine," Revyn rolled his eyes, "I can handle it, and I'll.. deal with him when I see him. Get some rest."

She waved him off, saying a quick goodnight over her shoulder as she turned the corner and vanished down the stairway. Revyn didn't move until he heard the door click shut, finally taking a moment to himself to breathe.

A lot happened very quickly, and he was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Annoyance and hurt were prominent but more than anything he was just confused. With a groan, Revyn shook himself, decidedly done thinking about it all for the moment; Lydia mentioned a washroom, and Revyn wanted to get clean.

It was some hours later, hair washed up and dried, wearing one of his last pairs of clean clothes; his weapons were propped up by the barrels near the alchemy station, with Revyn sitting on the mossy steps that lead down to the little garden, legs stretched out before him, crossed at the ankle. He was fascinated by the floating lights as they seemed to approach and float around him, trying not to really think about the incoming conversation when the door to the stairway clicked below.

The sound of steps ascending, and Revyn pointedly didn't look over when a figure stepped in from the stairwell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is what I know some people have been waiting for, but we take our sweet time with wild unresolved sexual tension because we aren't animals. I'm super enthusiastic to have a finished fic soon, so thank you to everyone for hanging in there with me! One more chapter left and an epilogue, almost there!
> 
> ALSO because this shit is so funny to me, why is Tolfdir's race listed as Elder?? His race is that he's old as fuck  
> (Also I found out he canonly has heterochromia iridum; his right eye is hazel and his left eye is green.)
> 
> Credit to my fiancé for helping me with some of the dialogue and letting me spitball with him for an hour because fight scenes are fucking _hard_.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning: _Explicit Sexual Content._
> 
> All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Revyn doesn't look away from the garden.

"Go get cleaned up," he says instead, pushing one of the floating lights with his hand, "we'll talk when you're settled."

Galvorn had clearly been expecting a fight, unmoving for a long moment before finally complying without a word. Revyn didn't watch him as he moved around the plot, his silhouette vanishing behind the stone that encompassed the back of the garden, shuffling around behind the way. It was an awkward sort of quiet, but Revyn refused to break it as he heard the drop of boots against the floor, metal scraping and the clink of clasps as the wood elf undressed. The dunmer dropped his palm against the moss, picking at it as quieter steps vanished through the far doorway, clicking shut behind.

He exhaled; letting his face fall to his palms.

He didn't really know what to do.

Revyn wasn't even angry anymore; what he learned was startling, yes, but- well. He sniffed, hands falling to prop his chin, drawing his knee's up to sit his elbows; of all the things, he thinks, to find out about Galvorn, how terrible was any of this, truly?

Revyn attempted listing off his grievances', and it mostly boiled down to his frustration at being lied to. Yes, he didn't much like the sort of danger Galvorn had gotten mixed up in, but would anyone? Tolfdir had expressed his worry below, Lydia is a light sleeper for a reason, and..- well, someone had to defeat Alduin. That wasn't a choice Galvorn had. None of this was optional, and to be upset over something completely out of anyone's control was a waste of energy. What's done was done, and Galvorn returned both victorious and alive, and that's all that really mattered.

Didn't change that something was clearly wrong.

Revyn decisively agreed he didn't want to fight. Fighting was pointless, as he had already aired out his laundry list of problems when they were out in the snow, and he imagined that attempting to go at this the same way was going to get the same results, and that's not good enough. There was clearly something else, and it was going to drive him up the wall something awful if he couldn't either figure it out or get Galvorn to actually talk to him.

That's just the problem though, isn't it? 

Galvorn was an absolute _character_. Revyn recalled old tales he'd heard from traveling adventurers and mercenaries back in Windhelm about such an unmatched hero; now that the shock had mostly faded at this point, and he had a moment to reflect, his thoughts wandered back to the dragon attack. Galvorn was.. truthfully, he was an incredible fighter. He'd seen bits and pieces throughout their journey but nothing quite to that extreme. He moved like fluid, graceful as he slipped through the snow with such speed and accuracy it was hard to focus on him. Like a dragon, lava had erupted from his lips, or how a cry had nearly knocked the reptilian beast completely prone.

The intense look on his face, brows furrowed and teeth bared, hair falling loose against flushed freckled cheeks; all captivating fury and determination as arrows flew like raindrops that poured across scorched scales and-

Revyn coughed, feeling heat blossom at the base of his ears, fingers tapping against his cheek; what was he thinking about?

Oh, right, communication.

Revyn liked to think he was very understanding. Thing's sometimes just _happened_ and people make mistakes, and that's perfectly alright. Galvorn had flaws, which was honestly comforting because otherwise he was this ridiculous perfect little poster boy of goodwill and it would be suffocating. Galvorn often acted before he thought things through. He makes bad calls, and get's hurt, and makes stupid decisions, and he keeps far too much of himself to his chest. Revyn thinks it makes him all the more endearing and feels foolish of how in love with the idiot he actually was, at the end of the day.

He sighed at the thought; he should really acknowledge what it was he was feeling rather than pretending that he wasn't hopelessly smitten.

Revyn heard the faucet in the other room turn, water flooding a tub noisily.

He just wanted to understand why Galvorn couldn't just tell him.

It was sometime later when Galvorn finally emerged from the washroom, and Revyn looked up at him as he stepped out. His hair was damp and down, brushed behind flushed ears as he dragged a towel down the ends. He was wearing cotton clothes, night clothes more specifically that Revyn had never seen before, hair falling over his shoulders as he attempted to push it back. He was stopped in the doorway, looking a bit hesitant on whether he should approach or not until Revyn rolled his eyes and pat the stone beside him. Galvorn dropped the towel on a nearby chair, trailing over and dropping to his butt on the cobblestone. He crossed his legs together, letting his hands fold between.

Revyn slipped his palms against the stone, leaning back on his arms. The dunmer looked Galvorn over, noting the tension in his shoulders, and whose eyes were preoccupied with looking at the ground, clearly preparing to be reprimanded in some way, shamefaced and still.

"Galvorn," there was a little head turn but the wood elf didn't quite reach his eyes, a little quiet Revyn continued, "I suppose I should begin by saying I'm not angry with you," to which the wood elf seemed to blink at, "I truthfully don't care that much you didn't say anything. I was certainly angry at first, but it's pointless to argue that point. I don't care you said nothing, I just think it's odd to hide things from a loved one like that, and I care a lot more about _why_ you did it rather than that you _did_."

Galvorn finally glanced up, looking over at the dunmer with a confused furrow pinching his brow; Revyn returned the look expectantly, "There's a reason you keep doing it, and I just want to talk about that. Dragonborn, Arch-Mage, whatever else you are, what is going on with you?"

They met each other's glances, staring for a long while before Galvorn bit his lower lip, breaking the eye contact. Revyn rolled his eyes, sitting forward.

"I don't think the excuse you gave me earlier today is everything. It's not normal to instinctually hide and keep secrets. Something that has either happened to you or that you witnessed made this apart of you, and I want to know what it is so we can deal with it and so you can stop lying to me."

"It's not-"

"It is." Revyn cut him off, looking him over pointedly. "and that's _okay_ , just talk to me. I'm not going to..- to _yell_ , or argue with you. I'm not going to get angry with you Galvorn. I'm.. I'm tired. That whole Dragon attack was plenty of excitement for one day, and I just want honesty right now. I don't even care what the answer is, I just need you to say it so I know that _you_ know that you don't need to hide."

Galvorn didn't look disquieted often, his hands pulling at a loose string against the inseam of his night pants, eyes glancing towards the fungi.

Revyn exhaled as a thought occurred to him; "This has something to do with the childhood you won't talk about, right?"

The discomfort on Galvorn's face was answer enough.

' _Thought so,_ ' he thinks, but Galvorn was still stiff where he sat and that simply wasn't going to do. Revyn didn't pretend or attempt to hide what he was doing this for, as he scooted over moss and slipped his arm behind the wood elf's back. Galvorn opened his arms instinctually, pulling the dunmer to him with poorly hidden neediness as he welcomed the movement of legs settled over his lap, one dropping down where the wood elf stretched his legs forward to make room for him. Revyn dropped his head against him with a huff, sighing as a warm hand ran across his back, settling against his shoulder blades and holding him close.

A mouth met his forehead as Galvorn squeezed him.

Revyn stayed quiet for a little while, listening to Galvorn's heartbeat, thudding where his cheek was pressed. 

He heard the breath before he heard the low thrum of the wood elf's voice; "I don't understand how you're not terribly furious with me."

Revyn ' _hm_ 'd, "I'm only really bothered by being kept in the dark. You amaze me, Galvorn, and you've accomplished so much, helped and saved so many people, so many holds- seem's a little foolish to be mad at you for being a good person. I just wished I'd known about it, but I do now, so there's nothing more to be done."

There was a surprised little huff at that, Galvorn brushing his nose against Revyn's hair when he said, "how in all of Tamriel did I ever get so lucky to find someone like you?"

"You're saying that now," Revyn upturned his head a fraction, reaching the wood elf's eyes with a hum, "Now, I don't expect you to grant me access to all your secrets, because either you'll say them when you're ready or you bottle them up and throw them out to sea, it's your choice. However," Revyn brushed up a hand, cupping the bosmer's cheek, fingers trailing along the base of his ear, "these behaviors are learned and you're going to keep acting on them unless we address it and deal with them."

Despite his clear discomfort, Galvorn seemed to smile at that, looking at the dunmer with warmth. "I can think of someone else in this room that has damaging learned behaviors."

Revyn coughed, "Yes well..-" but he deflated a bit when the bosmer leveled him with a look, warm brown eyes eyeing him pointedly; "admittedly, yes, I think we both have a lot of unlearning to do. That's beside the point, we're focusing on you right now."

Galvorn regarded him thoughtfully, clearly chewing on his words.

"I am sorry for not just telling you," he said then, "I..- I choked up. I felt as though I just got you to stop being terribly upset with me only to do it again almost immediately after." he leaned against the dunmer's hand as he spoke, turning his head to the side enough to press a kiss against his palm. "I just wanted to forget these things and move on without ever thinking about them again."

"That's not how things work," Revyn replied, brushing his thumb along his cheek, tracing a line of freckles just under his eye. "You can't just run away and ignore the things you've done or the things that happened. You'll never get the closure you need that way."

"I'm trying," Galvorn dragged his hand up to meet with Revyn's, pulling it from his cheek to press his lips against his knuckles. "I didn't just come here to drop off supplies, you understand. I wouldn't have detoured our travel like that for a few stones." he paused, then, before saying, "I came here to talk to Tolfdir."

"About what?" Revyn asked, letting his head fall back to Galvorn's shoulder.

"About him taking over," Galvorn replied, a little distracted, "the college needs a proper Arch-Mage. I'm not here enough, and the only real reason I became it was because of my work keeping this place from crumbling."

"Lydia made mention of Thalmor," to which Galvorn nodded.

"We discovered something incredibly powerful, buried in sealed ruins that we were never meant to discover," he dragged his thumb along the length of Revyn's ring finger in thought, "We foolishly brought it to the college to study it. The previous Arch-Mage had an advisor that was sent to him by the Thalmor, and that advisor attempted to do something.. particularly terrible with the artifact. We were luckily able to stop him, but his actions killed a few people in the college as a result, including the Arch-Mage. I was able to kill him, and with some help, we were even able to have the artifact taken someplace secure, but the result of that Thalmor's actions still have repercussions being felt throughout Skyrim. Rifts pop up occasionally that need sealed, for example." Galvorn shifted, "I was made Arch-Mage based on my actions alone, rather than my actual skill as a mage, and I've still too much to learn to be in a position like this."

"Tolfdir is a very powerful mage, and one that's dedicated fully to the college and his work. He'll make a fine Arch-Mage. It's not like he isn't already practically running the place on his own," Galvorn smiled then, "I just wanted to stop by and tie up some loose ends before we settled down."

"It's a really good step in the right direction," Revyn bumped Gal's nose with the forefinger when the wood elf kissed the back of his hand, getting a short laugh to bubble up from the bosmer's throat. "I'm glad you're not up an abandoning this place to figure it out on their own."

"I'm trying to take better responsibility," he kissed the forefinger and let their finger's intertwine, dropping to his lap. "Besides, Tolfdir practically runs this place anyway. Master Wizard is a huge responsibility, and I think he's better suited for it. I joined the college late, got lucky, and surpassed too many talented Mages as a result. I know nobody is complaining after what I did, but it didn't fully sit right by me."

"Have you already spoken to him about it?"

"Yeah."

"And what'd he say?"

"He wasn't surprised by my asking but he needed to think on it," Galvorn huffed, "He doesn't really want me leaving."

"Hm, I know the feeling," Galvorn snorted at that, and whatever tension that had wracked him previously seemed to finally dissipate.

There was a moment, where they were both just sitting there, Revyn's eyes being drawn back towards the dancing lights, when Galvorn said, "I have seven little sisters," to which Revyn blinked up at him, startled.

Galvorn was staring off at the patches of moss, foot bumping against the wide cap of one of the mushrooms against the base of the plot.

"Unless my parents decided to have more in the time I've been gone, there are seven. I was the oldest of eight children, and the only son my father ever had." there was an edge of bitterness there, but Galvorn continued on, "My father expected the most out of me, expected certain behavior, certain duties to be performed, live a certain lifestyle. I was meant to behave and be, in essence, him. Deviation of his norm was punishable, and I had to learn early on that anything can be destroyed or taken away, and so I kept things close to my chest. It was safer to simply pretend and go along with it, keep aspects of my life separate. It.. it got messy. I got careless and the lines got blurred, which is why I left home."

Revyn frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

Galvorn shifted, "Sometimes it's important to distinguish the people who love you, and the people who are only related to you. I don't think about it much these days. I'll take facing Alduin every day of my life if I never have to think of them again. But.. well, you're right. About how running away from things never gives you closure. I just don't think I want closure for this, I think I just want to forget."

Revyn didn't know fully how to respond to that, where some questions gained answers that only stemmed more questions. He eventually met Galvorn's eyes.

"Well," he began, deliberate, "I have no clue what they did, but you need to do what you require to let go. If they are buried in your past then lets keep them buried, and you'll eventually work your way to realizing that you don't always have to speak to the person who hurt you to get closure. I'll help you in whatever way you need in order for you to feel safe to open up. I'm not them. You don't ever have to pretend around me, my dear."

Galvorn gave Revyn a soft look, "What did you say to me a few nights ago? ' _When did you get this charismatic_?'"

"I've always been this charismatic," Revyn smiled, cheek against Galvorn's shoulder, "Just no more lying. I will do what I can to assure you I won't react wildly to things you tell me, and I'll listen. I can't help you or support you if you keep me in the dark, okay?"

Galvorn looked him over a long moment, expression warm and open as he pulled the dunmer to him, kissing the side of his mouth. "I can do that for you, _varbaril_." and Revyn just leaned into it, accepting another on his cheeks as the other said, "I'll do better."

It was a split second, not at all thought out, impulsive decision, that drove Revyn next. It made sense in the moment, as if to prove a point, but he knew he would be a fool if he believed that it was nothing more than that.

Galvorn was relaxed against him, mouth pressing against his hairline, and to the dunmer it made sense that this was the moment; that this had to be it. He felt- he felt warm, lax; but in the core of his belly, he felt want. The air between them was cleared, sitting quietly by the garden, as the bosmer leaned against him. Galvorn smelled nice, and his hair was down and soft like silk brushing along his arm still hooked behind the others back, aware of the hand brushing between his shoulder blades, of the one still interlaced with his own.

Revyn had already made peace with his decision of what he wanted all those nights ago back in the dwemer ruin; he was, of course, the only person holding himself accountable.

He didn't want to be that person anymore.

He hadn't really wanted to be that person to begin with.

"Good, now," Revyn pushed himself up to stand, swallowing down his knee jerk apprehension as he reached his hand down for Galvorn to grab, "I'd be a hypocrite if I gave you this advice and didn't use it myself."

Galvorn took his hand a bit questioningly, pulling to his feet. Revyn stepped close.

"Use your advice to do what?"

Revyn dragged his hands up Galvorn arms to his neck, and with a nervous breath, said, "Unlearning behaviors," before pulling the wood elf down firmly, where Galvorn instinctively met him in the middle.

Feeling pooled in his belly, in his face, his neck, the tip of his ears absolutely burning; Galvorn pressed close.

Revyn had never fully considered the ramifications of closing himself off for so many years and what it would do to him when he tried letting it go. Didn't settle his thoughts on term's such as "touch-starved" despite how much he clung to Galvorn during their time together, didn't think much of anything when a warm mouth melted against his lips, parting despite his nervous energy; calmed by earnest hands that slipped up to the base of Revyn's head, fingers interlacing in short coarse hair, adjusting his own position to angle proper, closer, harder - Revyn's hands subconsciously dragging up to hold the wood elf's jaw, pressing his face impossibly close, practically upturning his nose against the bosmer's cheek by the absolute force of it.

Hands were pulling at the band of his pants, leading them back a little ways, pulse absolutely _racing_ , when the back of his knees hit the edge of a bed.

Galvorn slipped his hands around, grabbing squishy rear and drinking up the change of pace with absolute unadulterated fervor. Smiling against this wonderful little dunmer's mouth before dropping his head to drag against his throat.

The build was slow, gradual, steady. Tongue against his jaw, warm strong hands slipping under Galvorn's shirt as mouths reconnected, pushing back against mussed up covers, elbowing a quiver of arrows that clattered to the ground. Threading his fingers through mussed up thick blonde hair, breath ragged against a hungry mouth, nipping and pressing and grabbing _and-_

Revyn choked on a whimper when they parted for air, hands slipping along the waistband of his shorts, causing tremours to race along his abdomen. Gal groaned low in his throat, pressing Revyn back against the sheets, pulling his knee's apart to drop between. A helpless little sound hiccupped out, his legs falling further apart as a rush of heat raced south; one of Gal's hands trailed up the dunmer's belly, hiking the shirt up as he touched and ran the palm of his hands everywhere he could reach.

Lips pressed against Revyn's throat as hands shoved more of his shirt out of the way, trailing down against his chest, teeth grazing as Gal slipped halfway off the bed where he yanked his partner's waist down towards the edge so he could settle between his legs. Revyn was trying not to feel white-hot humiliation by how fully his body reacted to being manhandled like _that_.

Pent up need crashed into him not even seconds later as quick hands slipped under the waistband of his pants, yanking them down as a mouth dragged hot and warm against his belly, nose brushing against the dark hair trailing down, breath ghosting as strong hands held him firmly down. His chest felt tight, vision swimming with want, but for a long moment nothing happened and he didn't know if that was normal or not, chancing a glance down to the bosmer, anxious if something was wrong or maybe he was having second thoughts or-

The flush in Galvorn's cheeks was deep. Eyes blown up and sharp, and it was then Revyn realized that, _oh_ , he's being _stared_ at and..- and hands were dragging down the lengths of his legs, Galvorn dropping his head to press his mouth against the dunmer's inner thigh and there was so much _love_ in his face when he caught the dark elf's eyes. Everything about his bearing was drinking up everything before him before he winked; Revyn's head dropped back to the covers the moment Galvorn pulled his waist forward, feeling the cry in his throat and everything was suddenly very hot and very _good and-_

His legs were absolutely _trembling_ , gripping the covers with an intensity he wasn't expecting, feeling the flush blossom sharply in his chest, his face smoldering, burning with need and choking on it with a tongue dragging along the length of him. He felt as though the breath had been knocked from him as hands hiked his legs up to drape over broad shoulders; he dragged a hand shakily over his face, catching in his hair, panting and feeling weak.

There was a rush of excitement of doing something he knew he wasn't supposed to be; of letting himself melt against firm hands and impossible heat that made his chest surge with need and legs weak with want. Feeling somewhere in the back of his scattered thought's that he knew better; reduced to a writhing heap with guilt trying to settle, but he couldn't think long enough for it to fester for more than a passing thought.

Galvorn's mouth was hot against his skin and it was so very difficult to breathe. Hands gripped his thighs, holding his hips against the covers, dragging the flat of his tongue from the base of the ache between his legs, and with it eliciting a harsh whine that seeped from Revyn's throat, melting against his lips. He didn't know where to put his hands, switching between covering his mouth, clutching the sheets or the seam of his hiked-up shirt, unsure and thoughts flying miles a minute but the mouth trailing against him felt like so much more than he was expecting, and yet not nearly enough.

Revyn was _shaking_.

His breath was short, his senses so fully overrun by need and want and the feeling of heat pressed against his inner-thigh was making breathing an absolute chore. He didn't know at all what he was doing other than that he absolutely _desperately_ wanted to do it. Pleasure and heat wrapped around him like a vice, his focus crashing somewhere between his belly and the heat of Galvorn's mouth.

Blunt nails dragged up his narrow waist, shoving his shirt higher to suggest its removal and when Sadri shakily pushed to his elbows to pull himself free of it, Galvorn hooked his arms around his waist, letting his tongue drag on his way up. In one smooth motion, the wood elf lifted Revyn, lurching up and slamming him against the headboard, his knee's kneeling on the mattress with legs hiked up around the bosmer's sides. Revyn huffed a shaky breath, tugging his partner down against his mouth because he needed him close.

Galvorn chuckled against his lips, the sound low and it practically reverberated in his the dunmer's lungs who swallowed the sound greedily. Chasing the sound of muffled praises that raced like water against his skin.

Revyn's palms felt tacky, parting for air and Galvorn took no time in dipping to latch against the crook of his neck, teeth grazing, breath coming in rapid as he ran his hands over bare love handles before making home between his thighs.

Revyn caught the gasp but couldn't muffle the whine, head falling against the wood elf shoulder as he pulled further onto the bed and held the dunmer roughly against his lap. Galvorn was _distinct_ but his mouth was warm and sent goosebumps shooting up his back; a mixture of hesitation and urgency filled him but Galvorn's hands slipped down against his hips, pulling his shorts the rest of the way free. He heard something clatter against the floor, his pants kicked off and dropping somewhere at the base of their bed, his own hands slipping from the mess of his partner's hair down to his waistband, thumbs hooking along the dip of his hips.

Galvorn leaned back momentarily, tongue between teeth as he worked quickly to push them off. His arm swiping out as he shoved off the number of things he had thrown on the bed when he came in, the sound of clasps clattering to the ground. The floor becoming a garden of thrown gauntlets and shoulder guards, a breeding ground of crumpled shirts where eager unpracticed hands traced faded scars along a toned chest, and Revyn let himself be lifted and dropped against his covers, head hitting a pillow as his bare legs were pushed aside; Galvorn pressing his mouth against the inside of Revyn's knee, dragging kisses down his thigh, between his legs, before reaching his belly. Galvorn was speaking against his skin, praises falling from his lips and what reached the dunmer's ears made him feel weak.

Kissing the underside of Revyn's jaw, the wood elf situated his hips, grinding and biting and drinking up the hiccupped whines until the dunmer was panting, fingers digging and only slowed when his breathing hitched. 

The pleasure building came to a near abrupt halt that tore a weak angry cry from the Revyn's lips that was quickly silenced by the wood elf pulling him back into a kiss, warm hands running down tense sides before a hand slipped down the covers to his half-opened bag resting just against the bedpost. After some useless blind searching, he pulled back.

"Hang on-" Galvorn pressed another kiss against Revyn's mouth, before moving to snag the bag a little closer, shifting through two side pockets before he seemed to find what he was looking for with a relieved smile.

Revyn rubbed a palm over his eyes, his vision still swimming when he felt a hand slip under his hip to press against his rear, the wood elf sitting up on his knees with Revyn's legs on either side of him, lifting one over his shoulder, pressing another kiss against the inside of his thigh. The dunmer wasn't connecting the dots for a painfully long moment until he watched as Galvorn pulled the cork of this clear vial with his teeth, pouring an ample amount onto his fingertips as his knee slipped under the space where Revyn's hip had been hoisted up.

Heat scorched its way to his face and shot directly down. His companion was busy admiring the view, and it was the first stirrings of white-hot shame that began to bubble in the base of his belly, and something must have shown on his face because the other paused before things went too far.

A hand rubbed against his hip, though rather than the searching grabbiness of before, it felt distinctly reassuring.

"You okay?" Galvorn's voice was _rough._ Low and drawn out, looking at him with an air of seriousness about him.

Revyn didn't fully trust his voice, clearing his throat but it didn't help.

"m' _fine._ " real convincing. Revyn swallowed thickly, his heart beating so rapidly he could practically hear it. "I- it's just new."

Galvorn regarded him carefully, "Would you prefer we try something different? _"_

Revyn felt a nervous laugh bubble up at that, "Goodness, _no_. I'm- I'm going to be a little anxious about this no matter what it is."

"Do you still want to do this?" Like a hum, Galvorn shifted the position of his hip to rest on his knees a bit more comfortably, "use your words, I'm not moving forward unless you talk to me."

Revyn would much rather die than attempt to keep his voice in check, but he evened out his shaky breathing, dragging an arm up by his face, brushing through the front of his hair and landing on his pillow.

"I- er- yes. I think so."

Galvorn eyed him a long moment, clearly chewing on something before he lowered and pressed his mouth against the dunmer's inner thigh. Goosebumps spread, pressing his lips slow against every spot he could reach, thumb brushing the crook of his knee. Galvorn pulled back only briefly, looking back down at the dunmer almost searchingly; it was unclear if he found what he was looking for.

"I'm not going to do anything unless you know it's what you want," Galvorn said then, "this can go one of two ways, and you're in control of which one it is, okay?"

"Oh?" Revyn looked at him a bit curiously, slowly but surely relaxing against the blankets.

Galvorn ran his hands down his legs, "Tell me what you want, and we'll move however fast or slow you want. Whatever position, however far you're comfortable with, I don't care, you just tell me and it's yours." Galvorn waited until Revyn nodded before he continued, "Or, we stop. We can stop now, or if it becomes too much, we can stop then. I don't care what we're in the middle of doing. As soon as you're uncomfortable, you tell me to stop."

Revyn huffed out a harsh exhale, feeling a mixture of awkwardness and need and he didn't _know_ what he wanted because he had never _done_ this before. One of his hands set on his belly, fingers curled against his palm. Relaxing against warm hands and steadying breaths he let out a weak laugh.

"I don't know what I'm doing." he admitted, though Galvorn pushed himself forward, pressing a kiss against the side of his mouth.

"You don't need to know what you're doing, I'll take care of that." there was a low drawl in his voice that was calming, as he said, "You just need to know that you want this."

Revyn didn't know what to say, feeling unsure how to proceed, still impossibly tense as his partner ran his hands along his leg with as much reassurance as he could muster; "Darlin' I could deny you _nothing_."

Revyn groaned, a mixture of want and embarrassment slipping through. "You think I would feel any differently about this if we were married?"

Galvorn looked him over, lips pressing together before shaking his head. "I feel like a lifetime of being told you should be ashamed of what you want, won't just go away because of a change in circumstance. I couldn't really know though unless you would rather we wait and find out?"

"Absolutely _not_." Revyn laughed, a little hysterical, "I'm not gonna be able to _sleep_ after this if we stop now."

Galvorn seemed to relax a fraction, smiling a little lopsided, "You want to keep going?"

"Please," Revyn breathed, "I trust you. I'll let you know if anything becomes too much."

"Unlearning behaviors, I see." Galvorn smiled, pressing another kiss against the side of his mouth, before leaning back.

"I'm _trying_." he swallowed, "I'm not going to be a hypocrite. I want this."

Both hands dragged down to grope the base of the dark elf's legs, Galvorn maintained eye contact as his palms pressed against his rear. "I want you to be vocal, please don't shy away from what you're thinking, _riellei_. You're in control here."

Revyn inhaled sharply, mouth dry. Galvorn pulled himself forward again, a firm weight between his legs and torso; intent unclear until his hands began to wander again, noses brushing, his voice quiet as he breathed, " _focus on me_."

Revyn pressed a brief kiss to Galvorn's cheek, letting his head fall back to the pillow where Galvorn followed.

Hand's wandered, Revyn trailing his mouth against flushed cheeks where Galvorn took the opportunity to press his in every place he could possibly reach. Holding Revyn close as he traced invisible tessellations along his skin, trailing his mouth against the crook of the dunmer's jaw to his ears, earning weak little huffs as a result. Feeling the squirm of the body beneath him, dragging his hips down to meet and it took very little time passing at all, with all of his fervor, and to his great delight, to come to the concrete realization that Revyn was _noisy_.

The dunmer was too engrossed to recognize fully what Galvorn was doing, distracting him as he was; getting only glimpses of freckles in his haze, warmth blossoming against sunkissed skin through a thicket of blonde hair falling between them, his own cheeks flushed with his own gasps and groans filling the space between them like a filthy mantra. A deep reverberation that's filling his chest and growing between his thighs that had previously half died between nervous chatter and hesitation. There was no hesitation now, as his desperation grew, and his ability to think turned to puddles.

There was something warm and wet that pressed against his backside then, causing him to jerk in surprise as an outrageous little noise yanked from his throat. Galvorn leaned back just enough to hike Revyn's leg back up to his shoulder, who used that to leverage and hold the dunmer in place as he traced circles around; unintrusive, but there.

"Relax," he breathed, "take some breaths, little rebel. Nice and slow."

Revyn tried to do as he was told, but his anxiousness caused tremors to settle at the pit of his belly which made relaxing difficult. Galvorn took note of this quickly, slowing his own breathing enough for Revyn to notice and attempt to match. It took some time, but when he felt lax enough, Revyn gave Galvorn a little nod, who smiled faintly in return.

Galvorn circled a little longer, watching the steady rise and fall of the dunmer's chest, before carefully pressing his index against him. There was only a little jerk this time, but Revyn stared up at the ceiling, determined, and Galvorn found no further resistance as he pressed down to the knuckle. The dunmer was breathing a bit raggedly, tense against the intrusion but not pulling away either.

Revyn swallowed down the shame that tried to bubble up, feeling exposed in every possible way and it was difficult to look at the wood elf knowing where the other was looking and- and _doing_ to him but..-

It felt strange.

It felt _very_ strange.

He felt that warm mouth latch against his thigh again, tongue lazily dragging against his skin and eliciting a shiver. Revyn let his eyes fall from the ceiling to land back on the wood elf settled between his legs, and he was just-

Another finger was added and Revyn pulled his arm over his eyes, clutching at the sheets by his hip, burning and unfocused, his thoughts puddles and Galvorn chucked before shifting their bodies; he didn't move his hand from its work, but Galvorn dropped Revyn's hips, letting his leg fall from his shoulder. Revyn's felt lips against his chest before the bosmer gently pulled Revyn's arm away from his face.

Revyn blinked at him, struggling to look his partner in the eyes but eagerly met his mouth when he got close enough. Galvorn hiked the dunmer's legs up against his sides, working him open as he drank up the weak little sounds beginning to resurface from Revyn's throat. They spent a short while like that, rocking against one another, pressing and touching and rebuilding the friction they lost, when Gal crooked his digits and Revyn saw white.

He must have reacted strongly because Galvorn was holding him just that much tighter, smiling against the dark elf's cheek as Revyn gasped and shook, clutching Galvorn as if his very life depended on it.

"So responsive," Galvorn chuckled, kissing along the edge of his jaw to the dip of his collarbone and back, "you're doing so good, _v_ _arbaril_. So lovely-"

He rubbed against the bundle of nerves again and the cry it forced out completely derailed his train of thought. The hold Galvorn had on Revyn's hips made it impossible to rock back or move and in his frustration, desperate little pleas fell from his mouth for just _more._ Closer, harder, fuller, needy and -

Revyn felt another press, head falling back against the pillows as Galvorn slipped his third digit in. He couldn't think past his waist as Galvorn's eagerness bled through his patience, who pulled his partner's hips roughly onto his lap but stopped himself short, working his jaw as he chewed on the inside of his cheek.

As soon as Revyn could move he rocked against him and Galvorn felt absolutely weak at the sight.

"You're everything," it was clear Revyn could barely respond, arm draped over his head, darkened from his cheeks to the length of his ears down his chest, sprawled and melted against mussed up sheets and he was the most beautiful person Galvorn had ever seen in his life. Deep red eyes flickered, catching the wood elf's fixation on him, before raising a hand and pushing his palm over his face.

"S'rude to stare." Galvorn chuckled, rich and deep, pulling Revyn's hand away, kissing his wrist before pinning it against the sheets with a shake of his head.

"I've waited such a long time to see you like this," he crooked his fingers as if to make a point, the dunmer arching against the sheets with a weak cry. "How could I not stare when I have the most stunning dark elf in my bed-chamber?"

Revyn swatted at Gal again as soon as he caught his breath, but there was no heat behind it. 

Fingers pulled free after another moment and Revyn whined at the absence, looking down in a haze when he felt the wood elf shift then. He watched as Galvorn fumbled with the vial and somehow got lucky with pouring more on himself than he did the sheets. He leaned over the dark elf, encouraging his legs back up which Revyn obliged the best he could with vague gestures until Gal slipped his palms along his sides and lifted his rear from the covers. Galvorn pressed a kiss against the side of Revyn's mouth.

"Relax, breathe _riellei._ " he pressed against the dunmers rear who huffed out a shaky breath in response, turning his head to meet the bosmer's mouth again. A moan was muffled against parted lips as Galvorn hiked one of his partner's thighs up to get a better angle, and Revyn keens, surprising himself with the volume of it as something that is decidedly not fingers begin to breach him.

It is altogether too much and not enough and it _hurts_ but not so much it's unbearable and- Revyn shakily puts a hand against Galvorn's leg that was hooked under him to ground himself, trying to focus on his breathing, loud and laboured, until they were flush against one another.

The breath Revyn took was harsh. 

Galvorn dropped his forehead to the dark elf's shoulder, and Revyn laid there a long moment feeling overwhelmed and good and knowing he'd gone too far to stop now. That nothing he could do would take any of this back, feeling embarrassed to be known like this, but needing to be in the same breath.

The bosmer pushed himself up to his elbows, arms slipped under each of the dark elf's shoulders where he held him in place. Mouths flush, biting and close as Galvorn huffed rather breathless against his lips, "you still okay, darlin'?"

Revyn brushed his hand through his hair, nodding as he didn't really trust his voice, biting on his cheek as he experimentally wiggled his hips; Galvorn huffed out a strained groan, but held still, long enough for Revyn to catch his breath and relax around him, the blonde trailing his mouth until he heard Revyn breathily murmur ' _okay,_ '.

Galvorn took his time, pulling out halfway before rocking back, adjusting; feeling the tremors in the dark elfs thighs, not wanting to hurt him but struggling to ground himself when Revyn dragged his hands ran over broad shoulders, thumbs tracing halfway the lengths of his ears like little encouragements.

Galvorn was clearly restraining himself, fingers digging so hard against the flesh of his partner's hips, a tremour racing down his back as blunt nails raked against his sides. Hands moved to tangle up in the wood elfs soft messy hair like a silent plea for something he couldn't put into words, rolling his hips and earning a surprised little gasp from Gal's lips, feeling hot all over. Galvorn struggled against his own restraint, dragging mouth and tongue where he can reach until Revyn seemed to slowly but gradually start moving on his own against him.

The bosmer built up a rhythm. From controlled to desperate, gripping the crook where leg met waist impossibly tight, gasping between thrusts as his eyes trailed down the body beneath him with a hiss, " _you bruise so quickly-_ "

It was _so_ much.

Galvorn's hand that had pinned down Revyn's wrist pushed up, dragging his palm up to thread their fingers together. Everything was intimate and sudden and strange and he _needed_ it so badly - bodies connecting in a rush as if they couldn't get close enough, the bosmer choking on a moan when Revyn shifted up to meet him. With every jagged thrust came muffled cries against flushed skin, fingers digging and sharp gasps of ' _harder,_ ' ' _please,_ ' and ' _there-! Right there, please- please, oh my gods-_ "

Revyn was panting, jaw lax and dazed, feeling himself rapidly fall like water racing down a creek.

Galvorn could not stop staring.

Revyn's skin was so flushed his cheeks were like the midnight sky, lips parted and no longer begging in a language Galvorn recognized; plea's spilling between syllables and rough consonant's that melted into weak whines. Moving in thoughtless abandon, so beautiful and tight and hot around him and Galvorn had wanted him for so long he could barely believe he had him, and by the _Divines_ did he have him.

Revyn was absolutely burning, keening sharp and sudden when the hand gripping his waist slipped between their bodies, wrapping around his own arousal. Weak and desperate, his voice a shattered wreck as a few purposeful strokes was enough to push him over; shouting as it crashed into him like a wave that spilled from his lips and against their shared moving bodies. Galvorn took very little else to join him, gasping, gripping as his hips stuttered, muffling a cry of his own against heated skin. 

Revyn came to with a mouth against his cheek, peppering him lazily, a thumb caressing down the length of one of his ears.

He looked up groggily, noses bumping; he was met with warm lips against his own.

Revyn inhaled through his nose, pressing a tacky palm up against Galvorn's cheek as they parted, blinking a few times until he was sure his vision was no longer swimming. Galvorn was admiring him with such affection, pushed up on he elbows.

"I'm so in love with you," Galvorn said, voice quiet, private, "You could ask for every breath I take and I would give it gladly. I would give up every sleeping moment to watch you place the stars into the night sky, if that meant I could be near to you."

Warm calloused hands cupped the dunmer's darkened cheeks, where for a moment, Revyn tucked his face against the comfort, smiling sleepily against him. The unfocus was clearing, slow but progressive, and he felt strangely free.

Revyn chuckled, "You're a sap."

"I'm besotted," Galvorn smiled, "I fell in love with starlight at a very young age, and that yearning I felt then is only ever strengthened when I'm with you."

" _Sap_."

"What's that make you then?"

Revyn stretched his arms up, running his fingers through Galvorn's hair. "In love with a sap."

Galvorn looked at him then, almost like he was startled. Revyn blinked at him, brows furrowed; "what?"

Galvorn chewed on his lip, thumb continuing its path along the length of Revyn's ear, who hadn't realized it had stopped. After a moment, Gal chuckled, "I guess I wasn't expecting you to say it back."

"Say what back?"

"That scary little 'L' word you've been swallowing these past few months." he replied, smiling faintly, "not that I didn't think you loved me back, but it's nice to hear."

"I'll swallow it again if you keep on acting as if it's a miracle it came out at all."

Galvorn laughed loudly at that, eyes filled with mirth when he said, "I-I'll never bring it up again. It just surprised me is all."

"Goodness, I feel like I've been so cold to you." Revyn groaned, "wouldn't touch you, wouldn't admit I cared about you-"

"I didn't mind working for it," Galvorn was grinning widely, "feel's earned, in a way."

Revyn snorted at that, "I suppose." his fingers got caught a bit in the other's hair, wiggling them free as he tried to groom the mess back down when he said, "I do love you, Galvorn. I loved you when I left home and for, well..- sometime before. I.. I try to show rather than say but Divines know what I could have done better."

"I wouldn't have changed a single thing," Galvorn brushed his hand against Revyn's cheek, "everything about you was worth the wait."

Revyn hummed at that, feeling warm all over, leaning into Galvorn's touch.

"Let's get cleaned up," Gal murmured after a long moment, brushing thumb against cheek and eventually Revyn nodded, a bit sleepy, "and get _you_ to bed."

Revyn smiled at that, a pleased hum on his lips, "right behind you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many of these scenes came from a one-shot I scrapped entirely so I'm glad they got put to use here. It has literally taken me a month of on and off work to write this sex scene, and at this point I've read it so many times that it doesn't even seem real anymore. I've no clue if it's good or not, or if my writing is actually clunky or if I just think it's clunky but I literally can do no better at this point.
> 
> NOTE: [About the art] I literally drape myself like that when cuddling AND I used some reference's. My friends thought it looked goofy but Homie sometimes laying on someone isn't picturesque and that's fine.
> 
> One more chapter after this! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Riellei: Altmeri term for " _beautiful_ " -- I like to think Galvorn is well-traveled enough to know a few languages, if not bits and peices of most.


	9. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 60,000 words later, and we are at the end! All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Revyn duly noted, as he watched the clouds drift by, a few things that love could make him do.

Having moved across all of Skyrim, to start. Spending months on the road with the Dragonborn and his housecarl, crawling up steep rocky slopes, traversing past the chirping swallows, down the hilly meadows, sneaking through bandit country with the wind muffling the crunch of gravel under their feet, as they sauntered their way through the thicket. Galvorn never stopped fretfully checking on him, even as the harsh miles taught Revyn how to watch his step, how to fight back, and land on his feet as they lost track of the road ahead. Lydia often took charge, her sense of direction next to none when they finally finished sloshing through the marshes, with Solitude resting the high horizon, just barely out of reach.

Love made him start over. Pulling open his boxes sometime later, washed up with his sleeves rolled back as Galvorn helped put things away and re-sort any goods that had been damaged in transport; finally home for the first time in months.

The city was so warm when they stepped in for the first time, hearing the sounds of laughter and the far away clanking of a smith just down the way. If Revyn had thought Whiterun was a beautiful city, he was ill-prepared for the way stepping into Solitude would make him feel. The market stretched on for as far as he could see, the street's full and vibrant as he eyed the plaza of street vendors and decorated storefronts with such longing and excitement it made him forget about his aches from travel. Galvorn was clearly bouncing on his heel's as they finally slipped through, twisting down a few short streets until they landed on the road towards the palace, and Revyn looked around confused as to why they were here when Galvorn stepped off to a series of steps; such steps that led up to a door to a building so massive Revyn quite literally did not realize it was a _house_ until they stepped inside.

It was empty save for some old dusty chairs sitting upside down on a rickety old table, one that clearly had its use in its day. The main floor was rather wide, stretching to an empty kitchen as he noted what looked to be a back door, with stairs to it's left leading in either direction of separate floors, and Revyn had no idea where they were. It took him looking around extremely confused until he caught a glance over his shoulder at Galvorn, seeing him shift from side to side and it hit him; this is the house.

And it was _huge._

The first floor alone was bigger than his previous shop and home _combined_. Revyn dropped his bag so fast because by the _Divines_ he had a _basement_? There are _how_ many rooms? Does the washroom have running hot water? Whatever anxiety Galvorn might have had at showing an unfinished house was quickly replaced by relief and enthusiasm as he tried to keep up with Revyn as he darted towards the stairwell. Revyn was taking steps two at a time until they reached the second floor, briefly looking between the two half ajar doors and the one just beside the stairwell that looked to be a washroom, but was a lot more interested in the weird balcony that overlooked the downstairs.

"What even _is_ this?" Revyn practically keened, dropping his hands on the short stone wall and pushing himself up to look over better, seeing Lydia tugging off the straps of her pack just below. He heard Gal's laugh just beside him and a hand fall on his back as he took in the absolutely vast amount of _space_ there was, admiring the stonework under his palms as his eyes dragged up to the ceiling in ill hidden astonishment. "There is no way you _own_ this."

" _We_ own this," and when Revyn turned to face him again, Gal was leaned on the short wall as well, his face full of affection, even despite the pinch between his brows. Revyn reached up to cup his cheek, a little confused at the tension when Galvorn quickly grabbed his wrist and kissed his palm, letting their hands fall; whatever could have been said, wasn't, and Revyn was off to explore the bedrooms. By the end of the day, Revyn had examined every cobweb ten times over, falling in love with the shadows this place cast and adapting to every uneven stone.

The house was so much more than Revyn had been expecting. 

While dusty, fit with a cluttered mess of old furniture, smelling of musty stone, and kicking up dust bunnies as they walked; it was perfect. Their first few nights in such a big place, as they waited on the caravan to show up with his boxes, they ate dinner on the floor of the kitchen. Having broken down the old termite eaten table and used it for firewood, their legs were entangled, stretched out comfortably before them as Lydia had taken the only functioning chair in the house, all of them covered in wood chippings and black soot up to their elbows, but..- it was good.

It was new and wonderfully strange; it felt nice. It felt _safe_.

Revyn didn't bother carrying his weapons on him when they went out to collect his things once the caravan came; Galvorn paid them handsomely once the boxes were set inside, and Revyn was already trying to figure out where everything was going to go. Sleeping between half-opened boxes, because the ricketty bed that came with the house needed to be replaced, and Galvorn was playing with his hair as Revyn talked for what could have been hours on what some of his loose plans were with cleaning up; murmuring about decorations until he was yawning more between sentences than pausing, and Galvorn had that pinched _look_ again and Revyn was getting tired of seeing it.

"Are you alright?" even though his eyes were barely staying open, he blinked hard, trying to focus on Galvorn's face with a frown. Gal continued playing with his hair, though he didn't say anything for a long moment.

Galvorn pressed his lips together, quiet, when he eventually asked; "Are you happy?"

Revyn blinked up at him, confused. "Do I seem unhappy?"

"No," Gal shook his head, but the pinch was still there, "I just.. I feel a bit guilty. I didn't have anything ready for you, I'd been- I'd been saving up for some time to get this place, and I figured I would have it all cleaned up and ready for when you got here. I didn't want to put you to work and-"

"Hey, stop right there," Revyn shifted, "you told me back in Windhelm this place wasn't ready yet, I came here knowing I'd have a bit of work to do and I didn't care. I dropped that I wanted to leave on _your_ lap, not the other way around. Besides," he smiled, a bit sleepy, "half the fun of starting over is starting over with a fresh start. I can put things where I want them, pick out furniture with you, build and clean and make this place up the way we want it. Not that I don't trust your ability to decorate, but I like having some control."

"I suppose," Galvorn smiled then, a little lopsided, "so.. this was okay?"

Revyn snorted, replying a bit sarcastic, "I've seen _bigger_ houses, but it's yours, so I like it." he laughed when Galvorn shoved him, rolling over with a swat, " _of course_ this was okay, more than okay actually." Revyn tucked his hands under his makeshift pillow, letting his eyes fall shut with a yawn, "Galvorn I was going to be happy with something the size of my old shop. This was more than I could have ever asked you for. Please stop looking so worried all the time, I'm happy."

Arms slipped around him, a mouth pressing behind his ear with a sigh as he was pulled to press against the wood elf's body, curling around him. "If that ever changes, tell me, okay?"

"If I stop being okay with the size of this house?"

Galvorn snorted, burying his face against the back of Revyn's neck. "Sure, yeah. That. If you decide you're sick of the size of the house, let me know and I'll try and do something about it."

"Clearly." Revyn huffed against his pillow, "you'll be the first to know."

Time went on, and their dusty home was finally getting some headway.

They worked relentlessly, sweeping floors and dusting away the cobwebs, wiping down windows and tossing old furniture to either be dismantled or sold, while they tackled their barren rooms, trying to get them at least presentable for when they finally get their hands on real furniture to fill it.

Revyn found rather quickly that he enjoyed being able to run out with lists of things they needed; learning the traffic of the winding busy street's of this warm city, meeting his neighbors and making friends with the bards down the way; it felt secure, knowing he didn't have to watch his feet to avoid the guard's suspicion, enjoying the smell of salt on the wind, and how he didn't feel like he was suffocating over a thick industrial smoke that often settled in the Grey-Quarter like a fog.

Not to mention the strange interest that many of the city dwellers had on the new couple that settled into the old abandoned manor.

It wasn't a bad interest, of course. Not by any means, as new faces brightened up and greeted him in kind both in passing and as he was shopping, pleased to meet him and even more pleased to discover that he was Galvorn's companion. It shouldn't have been so surprising, he thinks, that Galvorn is well known throughout the hold; while Revyn is no Thane, he recalls Lydia's fair admonishment's of Gal and his compulsion to do good, and he supposes to be known as a kind Thane rather than the Dragonborn was safer for them both as they settled into a new place. It's only real downside was that this made shopping a long and arduous process, as Revyn was often stopped for conversation and Galvorn was ought to hunker down and gossip with every shopkeep and neighbor from here to the Blue Palace.

Galvorn's trips to gather supplies always took twice the time it did for Revyn, and the few times it took so long that Revyn felt the need to go out and find him, he was oftentimes ten or so feet away from the house with his hand on his hip and basket in the other, deep in conversation with another new face; it was commonplace for Galvorn to pull him in, do a little introduction, and Revyn rather liked the satisfaction he felt at seeing curious eyes grow warm his direction when Galvorn introduced him as his partner. It was rather bizarre and new, to be seen as someone of importance, someone of note. It was nice knowing that Galvorn had made such a difference to so many nameless faces's that he was looked up to in such a way, relied on, and admired; that Galvorn's kindness and selflessness gave him so much in return that the regard Gal was held in automatically extended to Revyn as a result.

Revyn didn't feel like he quite deserved the admiration people gave him, but he wasn't going to complain about it either.

It was a lot more attention than he was, at some points, even particularly comfortable with, but most of it was harmless and truthfully, he'd take a few stuffy neighbors with the intent to further their own goals as compared to the inherent racism and danger he was in every single day trying to survive in that slum in Windhelm.

He'll take warm breeze, and friendly face's, with maybe the odd leer here and there, over the drafty bitter corners of the Grey-Quarter. Any sexually charged comments often died behind tight lips when Galvorn's arm was around his shoulder, and Revyn was thankful that they were few and far between; thankful and confident in his ability to defend himself without fear that his actions could cause the Jarl to raise taxes again, or that his peers would look down at him for it happening in the first place. He didn't feel so helpless here, he didn't feel so alone anymore.

Solitude felt so safe. _He_ felt so safe. 

He loved the high walls, loved the sounds of the city, the streets filled with guards that chatted and waved and left him alone.

Being able to rebuild his life from the ground up didn't seem so daunting here, and it was honestly the most fun Revyn had experienced in such a long time.

While the city was everything he could have hoped it would be, Galvorn was so much better.

The Dragonborn, and it was still so surreal to call him that, was an active part of his every day; where they danced around one another, pushing shelves in place, destroying old wooden chairs for firewood as Galvorn would rush out with a list of commissions they needed for furniture and letters under his arm to be sent. It took weeks of nonstop work, of cleaning and building and resituating with everything slowly but surely coming together.

The kitchen was cleaned out with shelves being shoved into their designed respective spaces, the windows free of dust and dirt, pushed open for fresh air where the sound of the bards practicing in their court filtered through; Revyn was helpless to shove Galvorn's hands away as he pulled him over to dance, ignoring the dunmer's protests until they filtered into embarrassed laughs where they didn't stop until they were dizzy. It didn't take too long for their first floor to come together, pleased as the last of their books were stocked into shelves, the kitchen a place of warmth with the windows all open and they moved on to the second floor with fervor.

Room after room was filled with trinkets and nice oak furniture, dunmeri decorations Revyn had kept stored for more years than he can count, are now hanging from lovely stone walls and along the balcony and every waking morning felt more and more like home. Galvorn dedicating his time in setting up the basement with personal work stations for his Alchemy and Enchantments, and it was so fascinating to watch him work on their lazy days where neither quite figured out what to do with the spare room upstairs. Shelves filled to the brim with spell books and scrolls that Galvorn had received in the mail from Tolfdir, lining the walls with ancient and enchanted weapons he had stored who even _knows_ where, numerous plants and fungi drying, hung from threads for later use, with ice boxes lined in ice wraiths teeth storing his more perishable ingredients.

A clash of cultures and interests filled this once dusty manor like a tidal wave. Falling asleep in a real bed with thick comforters that smell of fresh linen and cotton, waking up in the morning cushioned against a shallowly breathing chest, and feeling inexplicably like he continues to be in a wonderful dream; fearful of waking one day back in Windhelm, with Galvorn nowhere to be found. Yet, so far, his mornings are warm and lovely and _real_ with a mouth against his shoulder and fingers through his hair and he's thankful.

Their home is mostly put together by the end of their second month, excluding the room by their bedroom, and Galvorn is caught numerous times looking almost longingly at the closed door, but never quite explaining what he was thinking. Revyn noticed but assumed Galvorn would eventually speak if something was bothering him, distracted by his own goals as he approached the wood elf during dinner, where he finally broached the subject of opening another store.

The troubled look faded as they talked, replaced with eagerness; as from one project to the next, they worked.

Galvorn was someone who loved keeping busy, and while oftentimes it was repetitive work, he never complained. Enthusiastic when Revyn had his papers all together, crossing their fingers for approval after Revyn insisted and practically begged for Galvorn not to use his status to get this for him; Revyn wanted his own work to speak for itself, and they waited anxiously the following week to hear anything back.

When the papers came in with Firebeards stamped approval to open shop on the corner next to Bit's and Piece's, Revyn could have absolutely cried.

Another barren building, but his key was in hand and he had boxes in the basement collecting dust that he can finally do something with. It was two stories with a wide bottom floor with so much shelving space Revyn wasn't even sure at first if he could fill it, though Galvorn reassured him it would be fine. Good stonework and a backset counter with a fireplace jutting behind it, encasing the room with a warm glow once they got it started, and he just had so many ideas to rebrand his skills, of what he wanted to do and where he wanted to begin.

Discussing what to name the shop brought up something neither one of them had thought to discuss, as Galvorn dropped a few ideas to Revyn that continued to use his last name.

"Am I going to continue _going_ by Sadri after all of this?" he had asked, and Galvorn looked almost confused by the question before smiling.

"That depends," he chuckled, "Would you want to continue going by Sadri?"

Revyn looked as if he hadn't really thought about it, quill paused over their parchment of name ideas that was half scribbled on. He eyed Galvorn a bit sideways as he said, "I don't know."

"It's a very fine last name," Galvorn hummed, chin resting on his palm in thought, "and I suppose it depends on how you view the idea of taking last names. My father believed firmly that a last name implied ownership. To be given a last name is to take that person as your property, in essence. I.. quite frankly hate everything about that. I think sharing a last name implies a partnership, as I don't particularly care which name is taken."

Revyn frowned to himself, humming shortly as the quill twisted between his fingers in thought, dipping it back in the ink before it dripped on the parchment. Carefully tapping the tip against the edge of the glass, he wrote out their names in a lovely script, replacing last names to look it over.

Gal looked over the page when Revyn was done, glancing up at the dunmer warmly with a nod.

"I think it'd be really funny if we took each other's last names and didn't have it consistent."

"We're _not_ doing that," Revyn swatted him with a snort, "Call me old fashioned, but I'd like to have the same last name as you."

Galvorn rolled his eyes dramatically, mirth in his eyes as he sighed; "Well alright, but I still think you should use Sadri for the shop, in the very least. Don't get rid of your last name completely. It's nice and I'm rather fond of it."

Revyn pretended to ignore him, returning briefly to brainstorming before giving it up for the night mostly empty-handed.

It took a few days between cleaning and resorting stock for something to come to mind, and by the end of the week, they sent in the name ' _Sadri's Odds and Ends_ ' for approval.

The first week open went smoothly, as did the second and third. Things were settling down, their home mostly finished, Revyn back to shopkeeping where he spent long days working his magic as a notably charismatic dunmer to a city of patrons receptive to it. It was familiar work, comfortable, and after a time the rhythm of a new city began to meld to his every day, and Revyn was happy.

Genuinely, thoroughly, happy.

His store was thriving and it was easy to read an unguarded face of a wealthy customer compared to groups that were desperate and cold from his prior establishment. Easy to talk his way into every pocket and purse, enjoying the boring chatter and gossip; pleased on the days Galvorn wasn't too busy doing work around the city for Firebeard, where he would stop in occasionally with food or help around the shop.

Galvorn was - well, difficult to describe, throughout all of this.

He seemed thrilled to have Revyn near, happy to put his armour and weapons aside to focus on the little things for a while. He planned outings and was greatly involved in the upkeep of their home, shop, and relationship; Galvorn was lovesick and affectionate and attentive. Kind, and enthusiastic and warm, but despite all of this, there was something..- well, off.

Revyn only briefly wondered if it had something to do with him, but it was hard to feel that way for very long when Galvorn could barely keep his hands off of him.

Which _was_ Revyn's fault; having had torn down his personal walls that kept things chaste for so long, and now that there wasn't some moral barrier preventing things from going further, Galvorn loved doing nothing more.

Running fingers through his short coarse hair, kissing and grabbing and - well. Revyn was getting better at keeping the flush that crept up his face discreet; musing of times Gal had pressed him against walls, counters, tables - frequently in such a rush they often hadn't even gotten all their clothes off. Nights and mornings with hands wrapped around him, mouths dragging, touching, legs spread, and face pressed against his pillow. Losing count of times he's climbed him, having gone down or been gone down on like a pair of youths who physically cannot keep their hands to themselves, collecting kisses the way Galvorn's cheeks collected freckles from too much sun.

Galvorn made no mistake about what Revyn does to him and how much he wants him; he's clear with his affection and desire, wearing it proudly on his sleeves and it quelled any potential worries that Revyn had done something amiss.

But, again, it didn't change that something was distinctly _wrong_.

It was the last time Revyn stumbled on Galvorn looking at the spare bedroom, _again_ , with so much longing in his face it spurred the dunmer forward.

"Darling, is something wrong?" Galvorn blinked, seeming to realize he wasn't alone for the first time in a collection of seconds. He shifted a bit, clearly chewing on the inside of his cheek, finally looking over at Revyn was poorly repressed feeling brimming on his person.

"Not exactly," the wood elf responded, but his eyes looked back at the door and that yearning never left his face, "I uhm, well. A little while ago I was approached by a courier who was handing out fliers. Orphanage in Riften was advertising a bit, letting people know there are still kids waiting to be adopted."

Whatever possible scenario Revyn had built up in his head that could have possibly have been the problem, he wasn't expecting that. He stepped forward with a bemused shake of his head, "that _cannot_ be the reason you've been moping nonstop all month."

"I have not been _moping_."

Revyn shot him a pointed look, pushing open the door to the spare room, peering around at the empty space. Galvorn stepped up beside him, rubbing his hand against the dunmer's back; Revyn crossed his arms, "what would you even _want_ to do in here?"

" _So_ much," eagerness edged in, looking around with a thousand ideas flashing behind his eyes, "we could fix up something wonderful. A nice bed, dressers, a chest for her personal things. I- I could try and find some practice dummies, some bookshelves. There is a lovely little school in this city, and the school year is getting ready to end soon, which would give us time to get her enrolled for the upcoming year and-"

"Her?" Revyn smiled faintly, "you've _already_ decided on who you wanted?"

Galvorn dropped his eyes from the room, looking Revyn over as he leaned against the doorframe, "I-" he stopped, and Revyn couldn't tell if he looked embarrassed or not when he eventually let his hands slip down and encircle the dunmer's waist, pulling him flush as he rested his chin on the top of his head. "I've been.. waiting to talk about this with you, but you've been really busy with your shop and I figured you'd want to be married first before we did anything further but I.. I've uhm-" he shifted again, "I've been.. well, I've been in contact with an old friend of mine in Windhelm. He agreed to take in the little flower girl until we can make it down."

Flower girl-?

Revyn jolted a bit, feeling like a fool.

"I guess that makes sense, considering how often you use to bring her food."

Galvorn gave him a funny look, "You don't get to pretend you didn't pay her tab at the Cornerclub every week." Revyn scrunched up his nose, "or act as if you hadn't snuck her clothes when the guards weren't near."

"Look if the guards saw a _dunmer_ approach a Nord child I would have been imprisoned." Revyn huffed, "but she was- she's small and no Nord was taking care of her and it's _cold_ out there and anytime I inquired about someone taking her in they acted as if she didn't exist, but the Nine forbid a _grey skin_ try and feed her."

"Ooh, is that anger?" Galvorn cooed, lifting the dunmer's chin up, "does that mean..-?"

"Be a parent?" Revyn leveled him a look, "Galvorn are you actually ready for something like that? Children are a huge responsibility, and Sofie has been through a lot. From what I recall, she lost her mother young and later her father in this insipid war. You cannot run out into the world and return to a life of adventure when we go and collect her. She's going to need us both there for her if you want to provide a stable childhood, do you understand? This will not be easy, kids are not some accessory."

Galvorn looked unperturbed, smiling faintly as he said, " _When_ we collect her?"

"Did you hear _anything_ that came out of my mouth or-"

" _Varbaril_ , of course," Gal pressed down, landing a kiss on the bridge of his partner's nose, "I understand. I've been thinking this over for a long while, and I- I want this. I want-" his eyes flicked between Revyn's, before glancing back into the empty room, that look from before returning, "I know this is going to be a handful but - I want to. I think we'd make fine parents, and if I can handle the World-Eater, I can handle a child."

Revyn snorted, "S'good confidence at least."

"I'm nothing but confidence," and when he got a little smile in response, Galvorn kissed him properly, pulling back with; "you're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad with you?"

"For not exactly telling you what I was planning from the start," Galvorn said then, to which Revyn shook his head.

"Don't be foolish. You didn't bring her home and never inform me. We can at least prepare together. Besides, you've run out of projects to work on and I'm sure you're dying to do something useful."

They made plans for the room's design, Galvorn forever in debt to Revyn's priceless advice on set up and structure; leaving the heftier work to Galvorn's capable hands in the following weeks while Revyn continued to run the shop until it was finished. The wood elf was extremely proud of his work, and when he showcased the end result, Revyn could see why.

Bed pushed off to the side, made and new. Plenty of closet space, with room to play and grow. A few shelves situated around the room, mostly empty save for a few books Galvorn had already picked out, but it left room for Sofie to collect her own things and build the room as she saw fit.

It was a good start, and at least Galvorn lost the tension that's been pinching him for so long.

Work kept them busy, as time went on. Galvorn keeping in contact with a number of individuals, receiving numerous letters weekly, keeping busy both in the basement and around town as Revyn tended the business.

It was closing in on six months when Galvorn came to the shop one afternoon, and he was wearing that silly Amulet of Mara again, which Revyn couldn't help but chuckle at; fond eyes curiously noting a strangely shaped package and a bundle of flowers he carried in with him. The dunmer sauntered around the counter, accepting the kiss when his partner presented the items with ill hidden earnest.

Galvorn had proposed so many times at that point, and as a result, has received a vary of answers and non-answers; talks of last names and settling down, and months of travel leading them here. Revyn smiled brightly at the stupid thing, looking at Galvorn with amusement, "Look at you. Wearing an Amulet of Mara. Are you saying you're available?"

Galvorn held out the flowers, a bit coy, "Interested in me, are you?"

Revyn accepted the little purple buds; vague memories of an inn from months ago and a book he filled with notes, a single pressed dried bud stuffed inside, as he drawled out, "You _are_ pleasant company, more than pleasant. And what about you? Would you... be interested in a life together?"

"Well, it'd be a bit late to say _no_ now, would it?"

Revyn feigned hurt, accepting the little package as he gently placed the flowers down on his merchant table, examining the wrapping. "If you told me no, then you would have _so much_ explaining to do."

Galvorn laughed, "So are you ever actually going to _say_ yes, or am I doomed to pine for your hand until I expire?"

"Doomed, obviously," Revyn dodged the pinch, chuckling as he stepped aside to place the package on the countertop, " _Yes_. Yes, obviously, just let me open whatever this is."

A hand slipped down between the dunmer's shoulder blades, feeling a mouth press against the back of his neck, as he picked at the packaging.

It was medium-sized, plucking at the parchment paper as he tore an edge free, undoing the string where bent metal wire became visible. He eyed it confused, pulling apart the wrappings to reveal a circlet, thin silver wire encircling the crown that pulled out like delicate branches, little gems like moonstone embedded like dewdrops between the leaves and metal blossoms.

"Bosmeri courting has some aspects I was always a little fond of," the wood elf smiled, gentle and muted as he watched Revyn turn the piece around in his hands, "nature is embedded in our very culture. Wearing flower crowns are commonplace for festivals, celebrations..- weddings. While our home is my gift to you, I'm finally in a place where I can properly shower you in trinkets and presents, and one of the most important ceremonial aspects of a Bosmeri wedding, is a wedding wreath."

"Galvorn this is beautiful," Revyn brushed his thumb over the moonstones, turning the circlet over in his hands as he began noticing more minor details, eyes trailing over the little vines along the branches that made up the trinket, "where in Tamriel did you even _get_ something like this?"

"Oh, well I made that."

Revyn choked, " _No_."

"I did!" Gal smiled, "It's not a real wedding wreath unless made by your betrothed's own hands. Real flowers are easier, of course, but I've been practicing my finer metalwork for some time. I've even made your wedding band, but you don't get to see that until the wedding."

"Gal-" Revyn was _really_ looking at the piece now, dumbfounded by it. "When did you even have the time for something like this?"

"I do have hobbies outside of dragon killing, you know," Galvorn gestured around the shop, "while you've been working here, I've been working on some things for the house, and a few things for you." he paused then, before letting his hands fold in front of him, "do you like it?"

"Do I _like_ it? What are these silly questions?" Revyn placed it on the countertop, stepping forward to pull Galvorn into a kiss, "I have to expand my list of nouns that I've made that describe you."

Galvorn snickered against his mouth, pulling back, "You have a list?"

"Well, I'm about to condense it to 'Jack of all Trades,' and call it a day, because I'm running out of room," Revyn stepped back, looking at the wreath again with astonishment, "you really made that for me?"

The wood elf brushed back a loose strand of hair sticking out by Revyn's ear when he nodded, "I don't know why you always seem surprised when I do things for you."

"Would you prefer I act annoyed instead?" Galvorn pressed his lips together in a line at that, scrunching his nose a moment, chuckling.

"Ah, I see your point." Revyn grabbed Galvorn by the wrist, pressing a quick kiss against his hand, letting their hands fall with their pinkies briefly hooked before pulling away entirely. He grabbed the wreath again, admiring it for a moment before saying, a bit quiet;

"It's lovely, thank you." there was a deliberate pause, then; "is it against the rules to try it on before the wedding?"

The bosmer beamed at him, "None whatsoever," and even stepped forward to take the circlet from his hands, adjusting it as he pulled Revyn's chin up to face him.

Galvorn was correct in his assumption that polished silver was the right metal for this, as he set the piece upon the dark elf's head; the contrast was lovely, brushing his finger's through the roots of Revyn's hair, threading through the delicate silver branches as the moonstones sat stark against lovely dark skin and even darker hair. It looked incredible on him.

It looked incredible on their wedding day too.

Miles traveled, and holds explored, on their way down to Riften where they held a private ceremony; Lydia knew by default, and Revyn had sent out a letter to his sister, begging her to stay quiet about the ordeal, but really wanting her by his side. Idesa made it to Riften a day or two before they did, already fully in tears when they finally met up in the local inn; enthused and warm and _so_ happy to see him after all this time, finally introducing herself properly to the wood elf Revyn had been so reluctant to talk about in the past. She was sharp and bright, wanting to hear so much about their adventures and how Revyn's life was going; thankful that her brother seemed to be thriving, thumbs brushing under eyes as she gleefully noted that he didn't look so haunted these days, cheeks full and eyes alive, animated for the first time since she could remember.

They held the ceremony late at night where the world was already asleep; Idesa keeping Revyn back to straighten up his clothes and adjust the pretty little trinket in his hair, where they talked for a long time, alone.

Lydia spent a good while upfront by the pews, trying to help Galvorn fix up his hair, laughing as he struggled with nerves and brushed down the front of his nicer clothes and tried not to feel bizarre that this was really happening.

The ceremony was as expected in Skyrim; short and sweet. Yet, seeing Revyn walk from the back all cleaned up and looking like the midnight sky in dark blues and silver, hair threaded through and the wreath encircling his crown; it enforced the love he felt for starlight, seeing him approach, all nervous smiles as Idesa squeezed his shoulder, taking a seat next to Lydia. Galvorn took his hand, leading him to the alter where the head priest greeted the couple in kind, and where Galvorn produced that ring he had mentioned all that time ago. It was a crude gold with bosmeri script engraved in the inside; a small prayer, he explained, that his mother use to say. _As the rivers wash you away, the creeks lead you to home._

It took a long time for Revyn to acknowledge that what he felt for Galvorn was love; cold listless mornings in a drafty shop, keeping to himself, waiting endless weeks for news of a charming wood elf that would never come. From haunting the low quarters of Windhelm, Revyn had come a long way, feeling confident and secure as they quietly said their vows, pulling his husband close to seal their union with a kiss.

Idesa had practically tackled them when the ceremony ended, hugging Revyn tight.

They all spent a good portion of the night drinking in celebration, chatting and telling stories until the sun began to rise beyond the horizon. Idesa was the first to leave, tiredly explaining she had a long journey ahead, as she was going to meet them in Solitude once they return home; Revyn had asked her for help with his shop, and while it was a poorly hidden excuse to get her away from that terrible city, she was more than receptive to a change. It became clear this request happened through a letter, when she explained her bags were already packed and still sitting in the wagon outside the city gates, kissing her goodbyes before slipping through the city, pinching Revyn's side in good luck when she left.

They would have traveled with her, but they still had some business left in the east.

Lydia traveled with them as far as Whiterun, where their journey with her had to come to its end as well.

The war was still raging, with no signs of an end, and there were whispers on the road of growing unrest. Her family's farm needed protection, and she couldn't leave her city to fall when she's capable of lending her service to the Jarl, though her goodbye was not a dry one. Galvorn didn't cry often, hugging a long collection of moments when her things were settled at the foot of her parent's land, pressing a kiss to her forehead as they parted, promising to write as soon as they reached home safe. She pulled Revyn in too, hugging tight before pulling away with a watery frown and a kiss to his cheek, smiling a bit sad.

"Please keep him out of trouble," her request was a soft one, but Revyn nodded anyway, "he's too stupid to do so himself."

Gal laughed wetly, squeezing her shoulder.

"This isn't forever." and whether that was true was an uncertainty, but that didn't matter, "As soon as things settle, we'll come back for you."

"I know you will," and even as she was wiping below her eyes, she smiled at them both, "thank you for understanding why I need to do this."

"Thank you for sticking by my side when the world was ending," Gal replied, fond, "if you need anything, send word, we'll be here before you know it."

"and I for you." it was hard, watching her adjust her pack, turning towards the farm with a breath, "I'll see you both soon."

It was strange, getting settled back into the cart without her, but their journey wasn't through. Revyn tucked up his legs and buried himself comfortably in his overcoat, watching as the weeds grew buried once again in snow, the clouds passing lazily above head. They had one last stop before they could head home, one last stop before they can finally call this adventuring business in for the long foreseeable future, and settle down. Galvorn held the horse reigns in one hand, his other tucked against his husband's legs, resting on his knee.

It wasn't long after, barely a week, as they watched the high walls of Windhelm vanish behind the horizon one last time. For once, the dreary stone of this place didn't make Revyn feel sick to his stomach, resting in the back of the cart with a sleepy head on his lap, threading through messy short brown hair that reminded him so much of his first day out on the road.

Sofie curled up close, exhausted and cold as Revyn tugged the blanket Galvorn brought along over her shoulders, securing her safe against him, and they were well on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I knew when writing this that this fic wasn't going to get a whole lot of attention, I still want to thank everyone who did leave a comment, bookmark, and kudos for this story! I just,, really had a lot of fun writing this, and it means bunches to me to see that others were enjoying themselves as they followed along. Coming up with scenario's for these two has honestly kept me busy and has reignited my love for writing again where I had been in a bit of a dry spell; I've been writing so much for other people and focused on larger plots in fandom's I haven't been connected to in years (but I've already dedicated so much time in to stop now) and so sidestepping into just writing something like this with character's that have been very personal to me (I created Galvorn while I was in high school, and I'm in my twenties as of now) has been really refreshing and I'm really happy with the results. I'm not really known for finishing fanfictions by any means, and the fact I'm even here is wild to me.
> 
> I have a sequel in the works for this particular fic (I have fun plans for messing with DLC content and darker elements because not only are they my favourite parts of the Skyrim game, but I also have like,, 2 styles of writing I'm fairly adept in and that's love and horror/grief), but who knows if it's posted yet when some of you read this but we shall see! So, once again, thank you all so very much for reading and for all your support, I hope you enjoyed!


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